


The World Begins With You {The Higher Plane}

by XxLittenFirexX



Series: The World Begins With You [1]
Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-02-02 07:03:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 105,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12721899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxLittenFirexX/pseuds/XxLittenFirexX





	1. A Lazy Day

window in bright golden rays reaching his face and making his bright orange hair have a fiery glow to it, illuminating his pale blue room with a golden tint and his dark purple pajama shirt and gray pajama shorts. The alarm on his cell phone went off playing The One Star to wake him up.

 

"ugh" he groaned, "five more minuets" he mumbled as he grabbed his phone to turn it off. Suddenly the boy's eyes widened as he exclaimed "crap, it's that time already?!? I must've slept past my alarm! I slept way too long!"

 

 

He hurled himself out of bed immediately removing his pajamas and putting on his favorite shirt from Jupiter of the Monkey (which had a thick funnel collar he uses to hide his face) his white shorts, yellow wristband and favorite shoes that matched his shirt. Then finally attached his MP3 underneath his funnel collar. With ridiculous speed, he bolted himself out of his bedroom startling his mother.

 

She had the same orange hair and pale skin as her son, but with blue-green eyes and wavy hair and is just a few inches taller than her 5'7 tall son. She usually wears a dark blue long sleeve shirt with an oval cut down the middle and some loose pinkish-white pajama pants with white socks

 

 

"Neku?!" his mother exclaimed, shocked at seeing him move so frantically around the house. "Neku, what's the big rush, did something happen?"

 

 

 

"Mom! Why didn't you wake me up?! I'm running late! I'm supposed to meet my friends at Hachiko today!" he responded as he was ready to bolt out the door.

 

 

"Well, I was busy doing the dishes and some dusting around the house while you slept and I thought you were already getting ready to go see them. I was also giving you a break since you already have Cleaning Time at school." She answered crossing her arms with a sweet smile

 

 

Neku was then about to reach the door to leave the house, starting his mom

 

 

"and just where do you think you're going?" she asked him. "You haven't even had breakfast, I'm sure your friends won't mind if you're a little late."

 

 

He awkwardly scratched his head knowing she was right, so he had a bowel of cereal, Orange juice and two sticks of Pocky to give him a little boost of energy. After he was finally all done getting ready, and making sure the stench of milk didn't remain in his mouth he finally left his house saying bye to his mother and headed out the door.

 

 

He ran as fast as he could to Hachiko hoping he wasn't too late, he honestly had hoped that at least one person was there…He would've felt embarrassed if all of his friends

 

 

arrived on time and he was the last one there.

 

 

As he approached the statue nearly out of breath, he was filled with dread to see what he was trying to avoid had been realized. Neku was the last person to reach the statue.

 

 

"Yo Phones wazup widchu man? It ain't like you to be late to stuff." Beat exclaimed. A frustrated Shiki added in, "Yeah Neku, I almost began to think you forgot about today" she then smiled at him seeing how he awkwardly scratched his head.

 

 

"yeah well… in a way, I kind of did." Neku bashfully admitted scratching his head

 

it had been three months and a half since the Reapers' Game. He had grown so used to the sense of peace he feels of being able to sleep in without having to wake up waiting for a mission on his cellphone that, he took full advantage of that peace, although not fully aware of it at times.

 

On top of that, being in the Reapers' Game for almost an entire month threw off his sleep schedule at first for his first month back in the RG due to how once completing a mission, he and his partners would sleep until the next day

 

 

Rhyme couldn't help but giggle at Neku's awkwardness and simply chuckled saying, "well you're here now, and that's all that really matters"

 

 

Neku smiled back to her and replied "yeah guess you're right"

 

 

The four friends discussed where they should go next as part of their day hanging out, unaware that this peaceful life they have, wouldn't last for long. On top of the 104 building far away from Neku and friends, a white misty-like being outlined in gray stood on top of the building, along with Mr. H

 

 

"We need to test him, see if even after all this time he can still defend himself. He'll have two tests, one to test his strength and one to test his speed. We need him, and others as strong as him, if we are to survive." The Composer of Shibuya said to Mr. H

 

 

"You sure about that Boss?" Mr. H asked while rubbing his neck "Knowing you the way I do, the tests may be a bit brutal. You sure you want to push him so far?"

 

 

"Of course I am" He responded. "After all I am The Composer"

 

 

 

Meanwhile as the Composer prepared his plan...

 

 

Neku and his friends decided to do what they never could in the Reapers' Game… enjoy each other's company. They took in the familiar sites and sounds that made the busy city, Shibuya their home. They took nearly every route they did in the game, but at a slow relaxed pace. All except the ones too painful to revisit, like where Beat and Rhyme were killed, and as for Neku, it was to a lesser extent, Udagawa.

 

He visits it often, but not as much as he used to before he was shot, or when he was in the RG for one week. He went from visiting it every day after school, to once every other day. When he would go there, every once in a while, his heart would begin pounding, as he would be reminded of the last thing he saw before he died: seeing Sho Minamimoto runaway from Joshua, hearing the sound of Joshua cocking his gun...and then nothing.

 

 

he'd remember seeing his lifeless, pale body from the visions he had in the UG, seeing Joshua, his former partner stand over his dying proxy. The very image of it would once in a while haunt Neku as nightmares when he tries to go to sleep. Joshua would probably never know the trauma Neku received.

 

 

It's because of this they mainly focused on going to certain restaurants that they also went to in the Game. They also got into conversations they weren't even able to discuss in the UG. Even though they had all known each other for three months and a half, they couldn't help but want to know more about each other.

 

 

As they all ate at Ramendan and ate Ken Doi's ramen. As they did, his friends got to see something rare from their redhead friend other than when they're in school with their uniforms on.

 

He had his collar pushed down more to expose his neck a little so the ramen noodles wouldn't slip onto his collar as they ate, they were able to see Neku's whole face, something that was very rare since he was almost always covering it with his collar.

 

 

It made his friends smile at Neku, knowing that he really was so free completelt comfortable with even letting them see his whole face. They all held their chopsticks and began to slurp up their noodles and eat the other vegetables that came with different types of ramen.

 

 

Neku couldn't help but smile and be actually quite talkative around them. They sat in the four seats Ken Doi had ready for them. The order was from left to right, Rhyme, Shiki, Neku and Beat.

 

 

"what's with you man?" Beat exclaimed as he simply stared at Neku trying to analyze if this was really the same spiky haired boy he  
befriended.

 

 

"This ain't like you yo! Who are you, and what've you done with Phones?"  
he said teasingly

 

 

Even though it had been three months and a half since Neku had removed his headphones, leaving behind the way he felt back then, Beat still rarely ever called Neku by his actual name. Since then, "Phones" had become almost like a term of endearment to Neku, as a sort of nickname and reference to the Reapers' Game, almost like an inside joke.

 

 

"huh? What's your problem Beat…Did you just quote me?" Neku said shocked

 

 

it's at that moment he realized he use to tell Beat that whenever he noticed Beat dropping the tough guy act and actually showing concern for his partner and even offering him  
advice.

 

 

"It's Jus' that well… I still ain't use to you being so happy around us man, and geez I didn't know you could talk so much yo!"

 

 

"Beat!" Shiki intervened, "cut Neku some slack would ya?" leaning past Neku and glaring at Beat. Neku looked at her in shock seeing her become so defensive over him. Seeing her nose cringe beneath her glasses. She then smiled and said

 

"it's a good thing that Neku's so happy around us, I for one, like seeing him this way"

 

 

As Neku was caught in the middle of this argument he couldn't help but just burst into laughter, at this point even Rhyme started laughing. But she wasn't laughing at him, she was happy seeing Neku laugh to the point she somehow just joined in, laughter is contagious as they say.

 

 

"Guys, I'm alright, really!" Neku exclaimed, "I just feel… free around all of you. Like I can talk about something, and know you  
all give a crap about it, and that well… you guys actually care about me."

 

 

He mumbles the last part softly feeling embarrassed, he doesn't really  
open up like this very often, so he wasn't sure how to feel about it.

 

 

"I mean you remember how my luck with my friends in the  
past was like, especially since then my only real friend at that time died on me"

 

 

At this moment without realizing it, Neku sort of killed the mood and  
everyone felt sad.

 

 

Shiki responds "The one who died the same way Rhyme did protecting  
Beat?"

 

 

"yeah" he answers. At that moment he felt grief rise up again causing him to hide his face in his funnel collar, to the point only his bangs showed. when he looked up he then saw how everyone hanged their head  
in sadness.

 

 

"Oops" he exclaims "too much detail?"

 

 

"A little bit" Shiki replies. Neku apologizes and Shiki reassures him that it's okay to open up to friends like the way he did today, and that she's glad Neku told them how he felt. As the hours went on, the friends had realized they had spent nearly the whole day together so they all parted ways and went home.

 

 

It was a life Neku thought he had almost lost, something that made him smile knowing that in the end, not only did he get his life back, it was improved. He was living a life he never thought he would.

 

 

“man, it's crazy” the redhead thought while walking home

 

 

“To know that at one point in my life, I didn't have this. They were here, all this time, living in Shibuya yet...ironically, I had to die, to appreciate the life I have now”

 

 

 

As Neku kept walking to his house, he couldn't help but take in the scenery some more. It was a warm sunny day with a bright blue sky above him as he walked around his crowded home, trying to avoid bumping into people as he headed towards his apartment. He then spots it and takes his shoes off as he enters the front door, to walk around his house in white ankle high socks.

 

“Mom I'm home” Neku said happily

 

 

she then smiles at her son, happy to see how at peace he truly feels.

 

“Hi Neku, welcome home. Your dad will come home soon, he just got done grocery shopping. How was your day with your friends?” she said  
sweetly

 

 

“It was good. We got to go to all our favorite spots and just, hang out...I didn't realize I had been with them almost all day. I'm actually kinda tired from all the walking.” Neku replied with a smile

 

 

his mom then chuckled, knowing how much his friends mean to him.

 

 

“That's really saying something since you ride your bike to school every day and still go to Udawgawa almost every day after school. I'll let your father know you got home already and are resting when he gets back.” the laid back mother added

 

“Yeah, no kidding, thanks mom” Neku added

 

 

“You're welcome” His mother replied

 

Neku then dragged his heavy legs up the stairs to the second floor of his apartment, which lead to his bedroom and slammed his back into the blankets, letting out a soft sigh.

 

 

“hm? She must have turned the air conditioning on for me knowing I was on my way home. That's pretty rad” Neku thought

 

 

He couldn't help but just lay there, too tired to change into his pajamas, but he didn't care. As his eyelids felt heavier and heavier, he didn't bother fighting it. Slowly Neku drifted into a deep sleep, before that happened, the last thing he felt was the cool breeze from his AC gently blowing his little orange bangs.

 

 

 

As he entered his dream likes state, he couldn't help but think of his friends, he dreamed of spray painting graffiti with Mr. H, wanting to tell him how he knows he's CAT, and dreamed of spray painting graffiti with his friends. It all felt so real that he thought he was actually doing it. As hours passed, the sun began to rise and it became another day for school. As much as it annoyed him, Neku liked waking up knowing that it would lead him to his friends again.


	2. A Normal Day

Exhausted from all his walking, he had no idea that he slept straight through the evening to the next day. Neku slept like a baby with little to no movement in his sleep, but sadly all good things come to an end as Neku's school alarm went off many hours later (the song he chose for his school alarm was Noisy Noise, he felt like that would definitely help him wake up for school with its fast paced, and intense sound)

 

 

 

"Ugh" Neku groaned "Damn it, I really don't wanna get up. But...at least my friends are there" he thought, as he turned off his alarm and turned on the light to his room.

 

 

 

Neku did is morning routine of changing his clothes into his school uniform being a shirt just like Joshua's but white, with black pants and kept his normal shoes on, since he knew he would change into matching black school shoes at his locker. The girl version of the uniform is a plain white shirt with a dark blue skirt, a black tie and gray stockings, along with black shoes.

 

 

He then ate breakfast, cleaning up after his brownish gray cat who has hazel eyes and white "socks" on her back legs named Aya, and made sure she had enough food.

 

 

Although he never seemed like it, Neku is quite the animal lover. After all, they care about their owner for who they are and never abandon them. They hurt the owner from the owner hurting them. Even when she would get moody with Neku, Aya would always be happy in a matter of minutes for Neku to pet her again. It was the loyalty he thought he could never find a person

 

 

 

he then got his art folder filled with drawings, sketches and graffiti drawn in marker he made, and shoved it in his book bag and rode his bicycle to school. Despite how much he hated having to go to school again, he looked forward to getting up in the morning, knowing that he'd see his friends there. For him, that made it worth going there. Anything to be with the people that mean so much to him.

 

 

 

 

As he rode his bike to school Neku was sure to be careful of on coming cars, or other students who walk and jog to school. Taking all the shortcuts he knows to get there as fast as he could, Neku then arrived at school on time and parked his bike outside the building.

 

 

He and the other students then all walked to the building and greeted their PE teacher who stood outside the school gate, to make sure the students made it safely to school. Some kids who lived farther away from school then had their parents drop them off.

 

 

 

The Shibuya teens then all approached their lockers and removed their outdoor shoes and placed them in their locker and pulled out black shoes, the school shoes they'd all wear. As Neku walked around the halls trying to find his home room, he still couldn't help but feel a little sleepy.

 

 

“I wonder where they are?” the sleepy teen thought

 

 

as he walked, he then saw a familiar face, causing the person to smile at him.

 

 

“heh, what up yo? You seem all tired Phones” Beat said with a smirk

 

 

Neku then stretched

 

 

“Nnngh, yeah...you could say that” he says with a sigh

 

 

“ha! WELL YOU BETTER WAKE UP YO! WE GOT HOME ROOM SOON!” Beat said  
loudly

 

 

“well that'll do it” Neku thought startled awake

 

 

seeing his skinny little friend startled made Beat laugh and then pull Neku over and give him a nuggie. Hearing a laugh they'd all grown familiar with, two more people then walked up to the two boys.

 

 

“Heh, hey there Neku” Shiki said sweetly

 

 

“Hi Neku” Eri added with a smile

 

 

 

Beat then lets go of Neku letting him stand normally

 

 

 

“Hey guys. So You all ready?” he said with a little smile

 

 

“Yeah let's go, we don't wanna be late.” Shiki added

 

 

it was one of the only classes that the friends, minus Rhyme since she  
wasn't in Middle school yet, had together

 

 

 

the students all enter home room with them all greeting their teacher and sat down at their desks.

 

 

As they all used Home Room to chat and get some last minute home work done, Neku couldn't help but see from the corner of his eye someone familiar, wearing the same school uniform though, someone that he thought he'd never see again, despite how much he really wanted to. He couldn't help but wonder if his mysterious friend felt the same way.

 

 

 

“Joshua?” he thought “no...no way. It's not possible...right? I mean he's busy being the Composer of Shibuya...whatever that means. So, there's no way he'd just suddenly be here”

 

 

the thought of Joshua somehow going to school with him made Neku kind of happy, kind of. After all, he hated the idea of Joshua teasing him and messing with him again to get him angry.

 

 

 

“It's gotta be my eyes playing tricks on me” he thought reassuring himself “after all, it's only 8:00AM, my mind's just tired is all”

 

 

 

 

his school day went on as usual and as he walked down the hallway to next class, he spotted Shiki in the hallway again.

 

 

“Hey there Shiki” Neku said with a warm smile

 

 

 

Shiki then chuckled

 

 

“Hi Neku. On your way to your next class?” She said smiling back

 

 

“Yeah, you too huh?” Neku said with his left hand on his waist

 

 

 

“Yup” Shiki replied

 

 

the shy girl then hanged her head a little

 

 

“huh? Shiki what's up?” Neku said concerned with his left hand in his pocket and right hand outward

 

 

“It's nothing, I just wish we had more classes together. Living a normal life again is still kind of weird for me...and--

 

 

she couldn't help but feel her eyes water for a few seconds, causing her concerned friend to place his left hand on her left shoulder, making her look up at him.

 

 

“What's wrong?” Neku asked sadly

 

 

 

“I...I'm still getting used to me, the real me. Just waking up and looking at myself in the mirror, knowing that...it's really all over, that I'm me again.” Shiki said weakly

 

 

 

Neku then hanged his head hearing the sadness in her voice and lets his hand off of her shoulder

 

 

 

“believe me...I get it. I'm still having a hard time too. I sometimes, but not too often, still have a hard time going to sleep at night.” he said trying to help her

 

 

“You do?” Shiki asked raising her head to look at him

 

 

 

“yeah” Neku said clasping his right shoulder “I sometimes still see that image in my head at night. In Udagawa, where Joshua shot me...and it sometimes switches from that vision to when I had to shoot him to save Shibuya”

 

 

"That's...that's terrible Neku! I wish that didn't happen to you!" Shiki said sadly 

 

 

 

 

“It's okay. That's just a side effect of going through that insane Game of his for an entire month. But no matter what Shiki, don't ever forget what I told you. Whenever you look at yourself in the mirror, don't think about the old you. No matter what happens, you'll always be Shiki” Neku said sweetly

 

 

Shiki then looked up at him and smiled

 

“Thanks” she replied

 

 

“there you go” Neku said with a smile, making her giggle

 

 

but then, the shy girl noticed her friend become more serious again. He then hangs his head getting ready to tell her another thing that bothered him

 

 

"There's something else too. Another issue I've had for a while." He explained

 

 

"Really?" Shiki replies curiously

 

 

"Yeah...I still feel worried about it, even if it's been three months, still...they're out there Shiki. The Reapers. They live here in Shibuya, just like us. We could go back to the UG at any time, we could die at any time. How do we really know we're safe again?" Neku said a little anxious

 

 

Feeling sad from seeing Neku so vulnerable she can't help but be unsure of what to say at first.

 

 

“Neku” she said looking down “I'm so sorry”

 

 

she then gently taps his arm making him look up at her to see go from looking at him sadly, to smiling

 

 

"You're right Neku, we could die at any time. The Reapers are here but, try not to think about it so much. Remember? That's what the Reapers like. They want us Players to feel weak, to be easier to kill, even if we're in the RG again. I'm not saying to be on your guard all time, because if you do, you're letting them win, letting them control you. The Neku I know kicks Reaper butt, not the other way around." Shiki said happily

 

 

Neku feeling a little flattered, scratches his head, causing Shiki to giggle

 

 

"in a way, this isn't too different from life before all of that you know? We're all gonna...pass away one day and who knows if we'll end up in the UG again you know? But what I do know is, all we can really do is try to enjoy the life we're living now right?" She added in a sweet tone of voice

 

 

Neku then looks at her and smiles feeling better about it

 

 

"Yeah, like CAT's Slogan: Enjoy Every Moment With All Your Might. Thanks, Shiki...I never really thought about it like that" he said with his smug smile

 

 

Shiki then giggled again

 

 

"What are friends for, right?" she added

 

 

"right" Neku said with a little chuckle

 

 

At that moment though Neku began to wonder about Joshua and what he would do about the Reapers, which lead to another thought. Shiki then sees Neku clench onto his left shoulder deep in his thoughts

 

 

"would Joshua stop them if they tried to hurt us? I remember him saying something about the Composer having some abilities in the RG..whatever that means" He thought a little worried

 

 

"Neku?" Shiki said worried about Neku being silent

 

 

“There's something else I gotta tell you too that's important” he said darkly while hanging his head, hiding his eyes in his bangs and hands in his pockets

 

 

“what is it Neku? You okay?” Shiki said worried

 

 

“I don't really know. It's just...I thought I saw Joshua today in Home Room” Neku said a little nervous of what that could mean

 

 

“What?!” Shiki shouted “But...he's crazy! Joshua saved us sure, but that guy so unpredictable...ugh...no, there's no way he's here! Joshua's gotta be doing something with the UG right?!”

 

 

Neku then paused for a few seconds and looked back at her with a smile

 

 

“right” he said sweetly

 

 

 

“There's no way in hell he'd be back. I mean...Joshua...he's my friend. But at the same time, Shiki does make a good point. If he's really here,  
there's no telling what could be going on. I'd better just not think about it. I'm sure it was nothing” Neku thought

 

 

 

The two friends then look up to see a clock not too far away from them.

 

 

 

“As much as it sucks, I guess I should go now, I don't wanna be late but...ugh I  
don't wanna go either” Shiki said a little frustrated

 

 

Neku then scratched his head a little bashful

 

 

 

“Well...if you want, we could hang out a little longer by...you walking to class  
with me if you want” he says shyly

 

 

 

“You don't mind?” she asked noticing him scratching his head

 

 

“Not at all, besides my class isn't too far from yours.” Neku said with his  
right hand on his waist again

 

 

Shiki then giggled and said it was okay. The two friends then walked together and went up a set of stairs to the second floor of the school where one of Neku's classes took place. They then walk towards the classroom talking about the kind of music they like, making Neku happy how Shiki likes Techno/dance like he does

 

 

She also wants to introduce him to a band she likes one day, thinking his reaction would be hilarious. After all, it's not expected for a shy preppy girl to like a screamo/Metal band like Def March.

 

As Neku then approached the door for his classroom he then sighed a little

 

 

“Well, I guess I'll go now. It was cool hanging out a bit longer though” Shiki  
said smiling

 

“It really was. Makes me almost want to ditch class” he said scratching  
his head

 

 

“Neku!” Shiki roared

 

Neku then chuckled

 

“Don't worry I won't” he said with his smug smile again

 

 

Shiki then smiled at him

 

 

“Good, so...I guess I'll go now but...for real this time” she said sweetly

 

 

“alright, see you later” Neku replied

 

 

Shiki then began walking away from Neku, as she did, he then thought of something  
important to tell her

 

 

“Hey Shiki--

 

she then looks towards him

 

“Try not be a klutz and fall down the stairs. The last thing I need to worry about is a friend ending up at the nurse's office from breaking their leg” he said with his smug smile again

 

 

She then began walking away while her head was facing him

 

 

“Oh ha, ha, very funny. Don't worry though, I'll be--Oh!

 

 

at that moment as she was walking and approached the stairs, she lost her balance.

 

 

“Crap!” Neku thought

 

 

Neku then immediately runs to Shiki and grabs her by the arm

 

 

“Shikiiii” he said with a frustrated sigh

 

 

 

“Sorry Neku. I really didn't mean it” she said a little embarrassed

 

 

 

“I know, now...just go to class in one peace okay?” he said smiling

 

 

“I will...for real” she said reassuringly

 

 

he then watched his shy friend go down the stairs and left his view, causing him to let  
out a sigh

 

 

“ugh, Shiki has terrible balance. Did I jynx her somehow? is that even possible? I wonder if that's like Imprinting. Heh, who knows?” he thought as he headed into his class  
room.

 

 

 

The school day ended and Neku met his friends at Sunshine to eat some hamburgers Shiki, Beat, Eri, and Neku all sat down together with Shiki pulling out her cellphone to show Neku something

 

 

 

“Hey Neku, I've got something I wanna show you” she said happily

 

 

“Cool, what is it?” he asks

 

 

“hang on, I'm getting it ready now” the eager girl replied

 

 

she then accessed the internet on her phone and found a song she wanted Neku to hear.

 

 

“remember when we met Triple 7 from Def March?” She asked

 

 

they then look to a shocked Eri

 

 

 

“I still can't get over that!” she exclaimed, making the other smile and laughed

 

 

 

they then looked back at Shiki

 

 

 

“Yeah, I remember” Neku replied

 

 

“I've been wanting to show you there music for a while and weeeell, here's their music!” she said happily

 

 

 

Neku then pressed play on the phone and held the cellphone to his ear. He then immediately jerked it away from his head startled from what he heard.

 

 

 

“W-Wha...What the hell was that?! Now that is some noise!” Neku shouted unaware he sort of made a pun

 

 

that then made Beat laugh as Neku handed the phone back to Shiki

 

 

“Ha, I get it yo”

 

 

“that is what style of music they are Neku, they're music is under the Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Genere” Shiki  
said smiling

 

 

“Really? That's neat but...what's up with Triple 7? It sounds like he's puking into a microphone to me” Neku said crossing his arms

 

 

 

“Ugh! it is SOOO much more than that Neku! I thought you of all people would understand since you like music so much” Eri said crossing her  
arms

 

 

 

“Understand what? I'm just telling you what I hear” he said shocked

 

 

“Oh Neku, like with any style of singing, screamo has different techniques that make the voice sound like that. It's waaay more than just...puking into a mic, which is not what Triple 7 is doing. He is growling while scratching his throat at the same time. When done properly, it makes what would be just a normal sounding guy, sound like a cool monster roar! It's totally intense and takes a ton of practice! It takes so much out of the singer's voice though that it can make them cough too without a ton of practice or doing it for a while.” Eri explained

 

 

"So that screaming, growling style of singing can even make the singer cough by taking so much out of their voice? I guess that would explain why Triple 7 was coughing a bit when I met him the first time" Neku thought

 

 

He then smiled and then scratched his head a little embarrassed

 

 

“I...I never knew you were so passionate about music too Eri. Even if we  
don't listen to the same style” he said a little shy.

 

 

Eri then chuckled

 

 

“Well that's all part of expanding your world right? Learning new things,  
like that Mr. H guy wanted you to do”

 

 

“right” Neku said happily

 

 

"Besides, Shiki and I usually listen to techno and dance music more often...You know like, Long Dream, Calling or Deja Vu?" Eri added with a smile

 

 

Neku then chuckled

 

 

"I like those songs too" he said smiling

 

 

"And there are songs they make where they don't have the screaming as much if that's a bit much for you. I can show some other Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal songs too if you want" Shiki said smiling

 

 

Seeing how she looked so happy, Neku couldn't help but smile back seeing how much it meant to her

 

 

"Sure, I like the intensity of the guitars. There's so much distortion in them that they sound almost like thunder. It's pretty rad. I'll give the genres Def March is under a chance" Neku said smiling making Shiki giggle

 

the friends all smiled and laughed and then began eating their meals at Sunshine. Another day went by and Neku was walking around Shibuya as he was walking in Miyashita park and from the corner of his eye, he saw his mysterious friend again.

 

 

“huh? Why is that happening? Why did I see him? He's probably just trying to tease me again and freak me out and ducking in the middle of the crowd to look like he disappeared. Yeah that's it.” Neku thought

 

Neku then sighed

 

 

“Whatever you're trying to do by making it look like you can disappear, it's not funny. I'm not gonna fall for it” the troubled boy said outloud, wondering if Joshua would reply.

 

 

Neku then sighed again and continued walking, getting ready to visit Udagawa, wanting to feel better about that place


	3. Searching the Unknown

Despite how Udagawa somewhat became a painful memory, Neku couldn't help but also feel good now standing in front of the Tag Mural. Even if it's right here where he died, CAT was what made him happy. CAT was enough to make Neku want to go there.

 

 

As the Graffiti loving teen smiled at the mural, he couldn't help but think about Mr. H, how he couldn't help but feel a little sad. He flashed back to when Joshua shot him in their duel and how right before he passed out, he was able to open his eyes one last time and saw Joshua and Mr. H standing beside each other. As this image played in his head, he couldn't help but hide his eyes beneath his bangs and hands in his pockets

 

 

“Mr. Hanekoma” Neku said weakly “Why were you there? What were you about to do? Were you there to try to stop Joshua? I know you helped me out in the Game...and yet, I feel like I know nothing about you. Was everything you did just to string me along, as part of Joshua's plan?”

 

 

“Mr. H...CAT...just, who are you?” he said concerned

 

 

Even though he knows Mr. H is an ally, someone who guided him the whole time, he couldn't help but notice thinking back...that he doesn't really know him. Was Mr. H helping Neku, but also doing everything to help Joshua?

 

 

 

Was Mr. H just stringing him along like he thought? He didn't want to doubt Mr. H, he couldn't stand the thought of CAT just seeing him as a puppet, the way Joshua did. But he couldn't help but have his doubts. After all, he never got to know the Guardian of the Reapers' Game personally.

 

 

 

“Mr. H is my friend...don't think like that. He was helping me the whole time. I owe who I am--

 

 

he then looked up and the Tag mural again and smiled

 

 

“To CAT” Neku thought

 

 

he then placed his left hand on the tagmural smiling at the Ghost Cat. As he did, he suddenly heard quickly paced footsteps, causing him to look towards his left. The moment he did, Neku looked as the person approached, terrified.

 

 

“Joshua?!” he thought nervously

 

 

He saw Joshua running up to him again with a pistol in his hand with those hostile eyes Neku remembered Joshua having in his visions. As the vicious looking boy ran closer towards Neku, he then raised his hand and aimed his gun at his victim, causing the frightened teen to gasp and shield his face with his arms forming an "X" shape with his eyes shut, before hearing a gunshot.

 

 

Assuming the worst, Neku stood there and waited, ready to feel himself go flying back from the shot's impact, but nothing happened. He remained quiet to see if Joshua was going to say something if he was really there, but instead heard something else, it was his heartbeat. He was so terrified of Joshua killing him again in the RG that his heart was pounding against his chest. He then took a deep breath and lets his hands go down as he opened his eyes.

 

 

“huh? He's gone...was he really even here?” the troubled boy thought

 

 

Neku then hid his eyes in his bangs and his hands in his pockets

 

 

“What the hell was that? I could've sworn I saw him! Unless...Rrrgh! Was that suppose to be a joke?! Did he do that to try to prank me, like it's funny?!” the frustrated boy thought

 

 

Neku then looked back at the tag mural

 

 

“I'm sorry CAT” he thought again “maybe it's just too soon for me to be back here. I...I thought it was okay now, but now I don't know what to think. I was fine, I was here Mr. Hanekoma. It was just me and your art, but then...that image appeared, was that me? Was that my mind? Or was that Joshua? I felt fine visiting the Tag Mural after my first week back in the RG, and I've been feeling fine coming here for a while, so what's different this time?”

 

 

Neku then sighed again trying to relax

 

 

“Don't worry CAT, I'm trying to enjoy the moment like you taught me. It'll take some time for me to feel one hundred percent okay here again. I'll come back to look at your art again. You'll see” Neku thought smiling

 

 

As he started to walk away from the Tagmural, he then suddenly felt an extremely intense headache, making Neku scream as he squeezed his hair and panted out of breath.

 

 

"Nnngh! Wha...what the hell was that?" he said weakly "That pain was...just like when I'd get those headaches during the second week in the Reapers' Game."

 

 

He then feels a bright light near him and opens his eyes seeing a very tall, mysterious man made of white mist outlined in gray and looked a lot like Joshua, making Neku gasp as he noticed this and how the man towered over Neku.

 

 

"Who are you? WHAT ARE YOU?! and WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE JOSHUA?!" Neku roared while shaking his fist

 

 

the white misty man than merely looked at Neku with a blank expression on his face and turned his back before dissolving into thin air. At that moment, Neku felt extremely weak and almost passes out, using his left arm for support.

 

 

"Why do I feel so weak? I...I almost passed out" he thought as he panted a little

 

 

taking a few seconds to stand still and not feel so light-headed and dizzy, Neku focused on trying to no longer pant. As he did this, he then began to feel better and was able to leave Udagawa.

 

 

"Is that him? Is that white misty figure somehow connected to Joshua? he said the Composer has access to some abilities in the RG. ...and why there? why Udagawa by the CAT Tagmural? that place...why is it so mysterious now? It's no longer just a spot where I can look at CAT's art, it's where I died, and now this. Mr. Hanekoma...are you connected to this somehow? What's going on? Ugh too many questions! It's not like I can just ask him anyway. I haven't seen Mr. H or Joshua in a while" Neku thought

 

 

As he started to walk home, he also headed to WildKat, just to check

 

 

"Nope, he's still not there. Would that white mist guy have tried to kill me? I felt so weak and almost sick to my stomach the moment that...guy disappeared. I wanna ask him who that man was, but I can't. If Reapers exist in the RG but as normal humans...who else is here? what else is going on around me? I shouldn't think about this too much. I'll be okay. I wouldn't want Shiki, Beat and Rhyme to worry about me. I wanna enjoy the moment with them" Neku thought trying to reassure himself

 

 

He then walked away from WildKat and headed home, hoping that what he saw really was just Joshua messing with him, that he wasn't going crazy, that the Reapers' Game didn't mess with his mind to that point. Another day passed as he walked around Shibuya and he was then approached by a bubbly Eri as usual, and a happy looking Shiki as he headed to the Hachiko statue.

 

"Shiki smiling, and liking herself...I'm glad she finally has this" Neku thought happy for her as he approached them

 

 

"Heh, hey there Neku! Glad you could make it!" Eri said beaming

 

Neku then smiled

 

 

"Yeah. Even though it's been three months, I'm still getting used to texting...my friends. Heh, I never got to do that before." he said with his right hand by his waist and left hand on his side

 

 

this then made Eri smile, making Shiki giggle

 

 

"well I'm glad you have that now. Remember we don't mind okay? We like texting you on your phone, you can do it anytime okay?" Eri added

 

 

Neku then chuckled

 

 

"Don't worry, I'll try to remember that" he said sincerely

 

 

Shiki then smiled at Neku again

 

 

"By the way, you did a lot better this time. I think you made it before Beat" Shiki remarked

 

 

Neku then scratched his head

 

 

"really? that's saying something considering how he can run faster than me" he said a little shy

 

 

"huh? But Neku was able to run around Shibuya in the UG right? So he should still have at least average stamina" Eri said confused

 

 

"Eri, it's like I told you. Neku's always been a music and art lover. Not so much into sports or other physical activity, so he actually had a hard time with that when he had to run with Beat. heh." Shiki said smiling

 

 

such an on-point description of himself then made Neku scratch his head a little feeling embarrassed

 

 

"HA! AND THAT'S WHY YOU FREAKING SUCK YO!" Beat roared as he ran to them at that Statue making Rhyme run after him

 

 

"Hey! What the hell was that for?" Neku yelled feeling a little insulted

 

 

"Yeah, Beat that wasn't cool" Rhyme added with a little chuckle

 

 

Beat then smiled at Neku and chuckled

 

 

"that's cause it's true yo. You ain't got it man, you just ain't got the muscle needed for sports 'n stuff. So I'm always better than you at running and stuff" the muscular friend said crossing his arms confidently

 

 

Neku then chuckled again 

 

 

"Well you have what you like, and I have what I like" he said with a smile

 

 

Beat then chuckled and pulled Neku towards him and gave him a nuggie, making Neku smile and laugh. After that, the friends then talked about how their days were, and what shows and movies they saw recently. As they did, the conversation then went on with everyone being happy but then Neku felt like he should tell them what he saw yesterday causing his friends to notice how Neku had become more serious, hiding his face in his collar and hands in his pockets

 

 

"hey guys...there's something I've been meaning to tell you about yesterday. Something really weird happened, and...I don't know what to think of it" he said weakly

 

 

"Is it really that serious?" Eri said worried

 

 

"I...I don't know. That's what's so weird about all of this" Neku said getting sad

 

he then explains to his friends what happened

 

 

"Wait, wait! Back up! You're saying you went to Udagawa, and was at the CAT Tagumral again, and saw Joshua running up to with a gun?!" Shiki cried

 

 

"I think so...I mean, it looked like Joshua, but when he fired the gun, nothing happened. Then, the next thing I knew, that's when I felt an extremely painful headache, like the ones I would get in the UG. And after that, that's when I saw that white misty-man that looks like Joshua" Neku said holding onto his right shoulder

 

 

Shiki then hangs her head

 

 

"BWAAAAHAA! You sayin' you saw a ghost in Udagawa that looked like Joshua yo?!" Beat shouted

 

 

"Beat! Try not to make a commotion, people will stare" Rhyme said to her loud brother

 

 

he then scratches his head

 

 

"You sure you're not just tired Neku? Stress can do a lot to a person's mind and well-being. We just want you to be okay, so don't stress over that okay?" Rhyme said smiling

 

 

"Yeah, that's probably it. Sometimes I wonder if playing the Reapers' Game for almost a whole month messed up my mind somehow...that I'm seeing things" Neku added

 

 

His friends then looked at him very worried about his mental health

 

 

"Neku, please don't say that. I can only imagine how crazy that must've been for you but you're okay now. You don't have anything to worry about" Shiki said worried

 

 

Neku then looks up at her

 

 

"If it makes you feel any better, we could always try to figure out what that ghost thing is, right? It could be a cool little adventure, like our time as partners in the UG" Shiki said happily, making Neku smile

 

 

"Yeah man, you ain't got nothin' to worry about Phones. Dontchu start thinkin' like that. You ain't going crazy. What Shiki said is a good Idea yo! I think it could help you out 'n stuff" Beat said smiling

 

 

"So what do you think Neku?" Rhyme added also happy

 

 

"You know what? I think you're on to something. Maybe doing that really will help me feel better" Neku said with a chuckle

 

 

"That's more like it" Eri added

 

 

the friends then discuss where they should start looking, causing Eri to get a little hesitant

 

"Whoa! Wait a minute guys! I'm not used to this crazy supernatural stuff like you! I'm still adjusting to the concept of the UG even being a thing! I...I don't know if I should go...I mean, is it really safe?" Eri said flailing her arms

 

 

Neku then scratched his head

 

 

"Can't say I blame you for being worried but we should be fine. After all, the only one that has some...weird powers in the RG is the Composer of Shibuya, and...I haven't seen Joshua in a while. So we should be safe" Neku said reassuringly

 

Eri then giggled and then agreed to come too. They first decide to head to Udagawa, knowing that's where Neku first saw the ghost-like being. He takes them all the way to the tagmural, and then looked to his left, showing his friends where the "ghost" was, but it wasn't there this time, making Neku hide his face and put his hands in his pockets. Shiki then notices this and gets worried and walks up to him.

 

"Neku, it's okay really. We trust you. We believe you. We know deep down that what you said is for real." she said sweetly

 

Neku then lets his hands out, knowing how she likes to comfort him. She then places her hand on his and gently squeezes it.

 

 

"Please don't get so sad, I know you're not going crazy, that what you saw wasn't in your head. None of us think that either. If the ghost you saw wasn't here, then maybe we should try somewhere else. Can you think of another special area it might be in?" She said with a kind tone of voice

 

Neku then looks at her and smiled

 

 

"Yeah...there is one other place we could try...the Shibuya River" he said looking at her feeling better.

 

 

Beat and Shiki then add how that place is kind of creepy and if he's okay going there again.

 

 

"don't worry guys, even though I still remember the messed up stuff we went through when we were there...I...I feel like that's my last shot at trying to see that white-mist-guy up close." Neku said sternly with his right hand upward and left in his pocket

 

 

 

"Then we're with you too Neku" Rhyme added

 

 

"Rhyme's right. Even if this stuff kind of creeps me out, I wanna be there for you too Neku" Eri said sweetly causing him to smile back

 

They then head to the Shibuya River and stand at its entrance. As Neku began to head further inside the sewer like area, he felt someone tap his arm.

 

"Are you sure Neku? That place is almost pitch black, what if we get lost? it's super dangerous to into a place like that you know?" Eri said worried

 

 

Neku then looked at her and smiled

 

 

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fine. Even if Reapers are here in the RG, when they're here, they're normal humans like us. With the Reapers' Game being finished, I don't see why there would be any Reapers around here. Plus, we can always use the light of our Cellphones as flashlights" he said reassuringly

 

"You really things through huh? Heh, okay, I guess then I have nothing to worry about" Eri said smiling

 

 

The teens then head into the Shibuya River...Thanks to how this part of his journey in the Reapers' Game was when it was at its worse, when he and his friends so Sho Minamimoto crushed by a car, and when Shiki attacked him, the memories of this place helped him map out where he needed to go. They scan the area shining the light of their cellphones around to see if they could spot the "ghost". Neku eventually leads them to the burgundy door, which leads to the Dead God's Pad. He then hangs his head and hides his hands in his pockets and takes a deep breath feeling a little nervous

 

 

"if that white-mist figure is in that room, would he attack me and the others? Are they in danger from me bringing them here? If I open the door and he attacks, there's nothing we could do. We can't use our Psychs outside of the UG we...no...don't overthink this. It'll be okay." Neku thought reassuring himself

 

He then reaches out and places his hand near the door, only to feel something push him back.

 

 

"Huh? They're here too? Guys there's some invisible wall here, like the ones the Reapers would make" Neku said telling them what's going on

 

"Figures Joshua wouldn't let just anyone enter here" he thought a little frustrated

 

 

"Really? That's so weird...I thought only the Reapers could make them?" Eri said confused

 

 

"Usually that's true...but...the Composer can still access some of their powers in the RG since that rank is more powerful than the Reapers I'm guessing" Neku said crossing his arms

 

he then felt a little sad causing him to place his left hand on his shoulder

 

"Guess I brought you all here for nothing. Maybe...maybe I'm just gonna have to accept the fact that I'm seeing things...that I...I'm not gonna be the same. I don't get it, I didn't feel like this during the first few weeks we were alive again." Neku said sadly

 

Neku's friends then look at him filled with sadness, they couldn't stand the idea of Neku thinking that he might be going crazy

 

"No, it wasn't Neku. Even if we didn't get to see that ghost-thing, I know that you're not crazy or that you're seeing things. I know that's not true!" Eri said firmly

 

Neku and the others then looked at her shocked (especially since Shiki and the others have never seen get so passionate like this)

 

"What about that thing you did with Shiki? That...I think it was called Reaper Creeper. I've heard of that game before, and I totally thought the Reapers were like a myth or urban legend or something. That the Reaper Creeper game, trying to call upon the Reapers for them to help solve your problems...it...was all just a silly game. I never would've thought that the Reapers weren't a myth, that they were real! You guys all coming back from that UG place and the Reapers, they all prove to me that that white-mist-ghost man has to be real! Even if we never see it with you, It has to be real because...now, I know there's more out there. There's things that we don't really understand." Eri said firmly

 

"So even if it is scary, I know that the misty-white ghost man you saw has to be real because the UG and all that other supernatural stuff is real too! Don't doubt yourself Neku and think that there's something wrong with you, because there isn't. Even if I wasn't really comfortable doing this...I'm glad I came with you" she said sweetly

 

A little stunned at how passtionately Eri spoke to him, he was reminded of Shiki, and how she helps him.

 

"They're a lot alike, maybe that's why they're such good friends" he thought

 

Neku then smiled at Eri

 

 

"thanks. Hearing that from you, someone who's still trying to process all of this, yet...you really, believe me. You trust me, and what I said to be true...it...helps" he said sincerely

 

Eri then giggled

 

"Anytime Neku." she said happily.

 

The friends then start to head back and leave the Shibuya River with them all agreeing to go their separate ways and head home. As they did, Neku told his friends he would stay at the Shibuya River just a little bit longer but told them that he would go home shortly and to not worry, that he feels better. The moment his friends were gone he then looked at the entrance a little longer and began to walk away, as he did, he then heard footsteps and looked behind him causing him to see Joshua's back facing him as he walked further into the area.

 

 

"No way...is this real? or is it like that weird vision...I...I think it was of him in Udagawa" Neku thought nervously

 

 

he then approached the mysterious blondeish gray-haired boy from behind, causing him to turn towards Neku

 

 

"Why hello there Neku. Fancy meeting you here. So, is there any particular reason as to why you're following me? Hee hee" Joshua said while pulling his hair back

 

 

"Rrrgh! What? YOU'RE the one who's been following me! I saw you Joshua! I saw you almost out of the corner of my eye or something multiple times while walking around Shibuya!" Neku roared while shaking his fist

 

 

"Me? No, that's not possible. After all, no one can be multiple places at once. I'm just a regular citizen of Shibuya after all" Joshua said with a slight hint of sarcasm

 

 

"You? regular?--" Neku then takes a deep breath and tries to calm down and gather his thoughts and then finally confronted his Composer friend on what's been going on. 

 

 

"Joshua...you know what I was talking about don't you?" he said angrily 

 

 

"I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific," Joshua said slyly

 

 

Desperate to just get the answers he needed, he tried to stay calm as he hung his head with his bangs covering his eyes and hands in his pockets

 

"Those images" a frustrated Neku continued "I saw you, I saw you for the past several days out of the corner of my eye...and then, in Udagawa...where you tried to shoot me. Joshua, was that really you? Or were they illusions of some kind and then I saw some white-mist sort of figure of a man, like a ghost. I just...don't understand."

 

 

Joshua then chuckled with his hands in his back pockets

 

"I see you're as thoughtful as ever. Good to see that hasn't changed. Hee hee. Now, to answer your first question, yes, that was me, I was really here. Hee hee, but I would teleport away so you wouldn't know I was there, and other students wouldn't know either."

 

"What?!" Neku roared shaking his fist "You, teleported?! You actually mean it? I mean, I remember you doing that when we fought the Noise and you'd shoot those energy beams at them, but I figured that was a Psych! You're telling me that in the RG you actually can?!...people, they can't...

 

 

Neku's mind was then racing as he literally couldn't understand how is a human doing something impossible and then remembers something from their duel, he then clasped onto his right shoulder with his left hand

 

 

"You froze them in place Joshua, I heard a sort of zapping noise as I heard Shiki and Beat grunt from pain and then, Shiki yelled she couldn't move!"

 

 

Neku then became so frustrated that he squeezed his hair

 

 

"messing with my memories and keeping the one missing piece from me! Somehow freezing people in place, the vision of my death you showed me! You somehow slowing down the bullets Pi-face shot at you! These things...they just can't happen! You said that the Composer has access to some of their power even in the RG! What IS your rank?! Is the Composer an even MORE powerful version of a Reaper?!" he cried out

 

 

he then took a deep breath and placed his arms down

 

 

"Joshua...what does it really mean to be the Composer of Shibuya?" Neku said weakly

 

 

seeing Neku in such a state of distress and uncertainty couldn't help but make Joshua chuckle

 

 

"Now where's the fun in me telling you everything? Hee hee" Joshua said as he pulled back his hair

 

 

"What?! Rrgh! Damn it, Joshua! Why can't you just give me a straight answer?!" Neku roared shaking his fist

 

 

Joshua then sighed and shook his head

 

 

"Let's just say, I have my reasons," he said with a smug smile "I've actually been here this whole time you know. What I said is true, before I became the Composer of Shibuya, I was a regular person, even going to the very same middle school you do. But, after that happened, school and just being in the RG ever again, didn't really seem to matter anymore. I'm beyond your school, beyond anything they could really teach me. I'm beyond Shibuya. I have my own way of monitoring the city where I don't have to be here in person, so I only came back recently just to entertain myself a little."

 

by now Neku had calmed down since although he didn't get a straight answer, he did get one sort of

 

 

"So the role of the Composer gives you a higher sense of knowledge?" he asked weakly

 

 

"Yes, that's one of the powers I have here, and unlike Reapers, the Composer has full access to their powers both in the UG and the RG. The advanced knowledge I have then enabled me to do many things, like having access to my powers." Joshua answered while twirling his hair

 

 

the two boys then stood in silence 

 

 

"So...he didn't flat out tell me what the Composer is, which, of course, he wouldn't...but...at least I have a bit of an understanding now, it makes you have knowledge beyond anything the average person would know" Neku thought

 

"I guess that makes sense" Neku said breaking the silence "After all, being in the UG Shibuya allows you to see the city from a whole new perspective, something no one from the RG would ever understand" 

 

"Exactly" Joshua added

 

 

"What about when you would somehow teleport into the air and shooting those energy beams when we fought the Noise? I always figured that was some sort of Psych since I had pins that would let me shoot out beams of energy and teleport too" Neku said curious

 

Joshua then chuckled

 

 

"I guess you could say that that's something a Composer can do too" he said slyly

 

 

With Neku feeling better to an extent, about their discussion, Neku and Joshua then leave the Shibuya river and walk together for little while. Something that Neku couldn't help but still find mind boggling.


	4. Among the Living

As Neku and Joshua then walk around the city, Neku's other friends decided to meet up again and just talk when they see Neku and the mysterious Composer with him.

 

 

“It's really him” Shiki thought a little intimidated

 

 

“that's...prissy boy. He's the one that made Rhyme lose her dreams yo. He's got some nerve coming here. Is he really gonna act like we cool? We ain't aight, and I don't know if we ever could be” Beat thought in his head as Neku and Joshua approached

 

 

as he then stood in front of them, Beat, Shiki and Eri looked in shock

 

 

“Well, unless you all wish to speak with me, I have things I need to take care of and will have to leave” Joshua said nonchalantly

 

 

“What?! How can you just act like everything you did doesn't matter!” Eri cried “I know what you did to Shiki and the others!”

 

 

Joshua then flicked his hair and chuckled, making Neku wince

 

 

“Why I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about...anyway, I have to go home now, see you later” he said waving his hands

 

 

Neku and the others then just looked at Joshua filled with confusion and shock.

 

 

“Will he ever just...not be an ass to me and my friends?” Neku wondered

 

 

The next day started and Neku and the others felt even more confusion as he walked around Shibuya not seeing him in the city's busy crowd. He headed towards Cat Street and ended up at WildKat again, wondering if Mr. H was there this time, but instead he saw The Composer again.

 

 

“huh? Hey how come I didn't see you earlier?” Neku asked curious

 

 

“Oh no reason in particular” Joshua replied with a twirl of his hair “well, us being together almost makes it seem like we're Partners again. Hee hee, that ought to bring back some memories, right Neku?”

 

 

the frustrated redhead then groaned

 

 

“Yeah, how you were a total dick trying to tease me if I didn't understand Pi-face's weird math problems” Neku said crossing his arms

 

 

Joshua then smiled and did his usual chuckle

 

 

 

“What an interesting choice of words. Well, now I can't help but wonder if mine's bigger than yours. They say it's part of a man's pride after all. The bigger the better” Joshua said teasingly

 

 

Neku was then thrown into a state of shock

 

 

“Wha...That's NOT what I was saying! Rrrgh! Do you have to be such a creep all the time?!” Neku roared shaking his fist

 

 

Joshua then shrugged

 

 

“Oh Neku, you really need to accept other people's sense of humor” he said with his hands in his back pockets

 

 

Neku then couldn't help but place his right hand by his head in a fist and left hand on his waist

 

 

“Yeah well, if that's what you call humor, then...that's not something I'd respect” Neku said weakly

 

 

Joshua then shrugged again and smiled with his hands in his back pockets again

 

 

“Well, I guess I'll be going now. Just be careful Neku. You know as well as I do that the Reapers are here...and they can easily target any citizen of Shibuya to try to send them to the UG. When the Reapers' Game is over, I can't really give orders to them and when they're in the RG, they're basically human. They could be here watching you and me right now. As much as I love being in the UG, I can only do so much to protect you here if you were to get in trouble, my precious Proxy” Joshua said with sly grin

 

 

Feeding off of Neku's fear, he then sees the results he wanted, causing Neku to hide his face in his collar and his hands in his pockets

 

 

"Damn it! That friggin' little snot! He...WANTS me to feel this way! He...wants me to feel like something bad is gonna happen to me. I...I know that it's a possibility, I know they could kill me any time but, I don't want to live my life like that! I can't let him get to me like that, it's what he wants...he wants me to feel like me and my friends are in danger. Screw that!" Neku thought trying to feel better

 

 

He then looks up at Joshua again and yelled at him

 

 

“What? What are you getting at? What do you mean if I was in trouble? You're making it sound like they're about to target me and the others! And...I...I'm not your Proxy, I'm a person!” Neku said frustrated

 

 

“I only meant that if say, that possible outcome did become real, there's only so much I could do and for you to just think about it. I was just presenting you with something you need to accept. Hee hee” Joshua replied

 

 

Neku then hid his eyes in his bangs and hands in his pockets

 

 

“Do you have to be creepy with everything you say? You made it sound like something bad was gonna happen to me. What are you planning?” Neku said feeling suspicious

 

 

Joshua then lets out a frustrated sigh

 

 

“Nothing Neku, it's just how I talk, that's all. You of all people should know by now” Joshua said lying a little

 

 

“Yeah...I know” Neku replied

 

 

the two boys then walked their separate ways, and as they did, Neku was suddenly given another one of Joshua's pop quizzes and asked him a few math questions, smiling and chuckling whenever Neku wasn't sure how to answer an algebra problem.

 

 

“memorizes the square root of three, yet struggles to solve some Algebra. He can do some of it though...how odd” Joshua thought as he walked away

 

 

as time went on, Neku and the others all decided to hang out at the Hachiko Statue, As he walked towards it, he couldn't help but smile a little.

 

 

“As much of an ass Joshua can be, I'm kinda glad he's here in Shibuya. When he's not trying to mess with my head and be a dick, it's actually pretty cool being around him again. I haven't forgiven him for what he did, and I don't know if I ever can...but I trust him. I just hope somehow the others can too." he thought wondering about his friend

 

 

"I don't blame though, Joshua did messed up stuff to Shiki, Beat and Rhyme. Does he even care? Knowing Joshua, he probably doesn't see how it's a big deal, that guy's so strange.” Neku thought shaking his head a little, though still smiling

 

 

Neku then went to his usual spot, only to be greeted by his friends remembering how they agreed to have lunch there

 

 

“Hey Neku!” Shiki said happily

 

 

“Glad you came!” Eri exclaimed

 

 

“Phones! What up yo?” Beat also said smiling

 

 

Neku then smiled back, feeling happy that he's wanted, that he feels like he has people who are just happy to see him

 

 

“Hey guys. Just another normal day but I'm glad that when school is over, we can just hang out” he said sincerely

 

 

“I hear that yo! School is wack!” Beat said with a little laugh

 

 

Shiki then giggled too

 

 

“So what do you have this time?” Shiki asked

 

 

“Just some bento” Neku replied

 

 

“heh, what are the odds, my mom totally made me bento too!” Eri added

 

 

 

“Guess we have similar tastes” Neku said with a smile

 

 

As Neku and the others began to eat their lunch, the mysterious Composer walked towards them, causing Neku to look towards him.

 

 

“Huh...you know I didn't expect you to come” Neku said a little stunned

 

 

“I see...so, am I not welcomed? Why Neku, that's so cold of you. Are you saying we're not really friends after all? Hee hee, so much for loyalty” Joshua said taunting Neku while pulling his hair back

 

 

Neku then hanged his head, making Shiki worry

 

 

“You...you had to go there...didn't you? How can I show Shiki and the others that you're not that bad, when you do stuff like this?” Neku thought feeling a little sad

 

 

“Ugh! Cut it out Joshua! You know how Neku feels about that don't you? You were his partner technically longer than any of us! You spent the most time with him!” Shiki roared

 

 

“Yeah, after me yo. I was there for Phones too towards the end” Beat added crossing his arms

 

 

Neku then looked up

 

 

“It's not like that. I just wanted the others to know that you're not that bad Joshua.” Neku replied a little weakly

 

 

Joshua then placed his hand on his chin

 

 

“Not that bad? Hee hee, I'll take that as a compliment. So I guess I'll eat with you after all” the mysterious boy added, as if they were lucky to be in his presence

 

 

the Composer then walked a little closer and then sat down with Neku's friends and they then all began to talk about the Game and how Joshua affected them

 

 

“We don't know you like Neku does, so that's why it's just a little hard to be around you, that's all. I know you did some good things too though. You protected Neku, and gave him advice when he needed it, you were the first friend he could really relate to.” Shiki said with a little smile

 

 

“That's true yo..and you brought us all back to life, even if Rhyme will never get her entry fee back...she's still my sister” Beat added

 

 

the strong boy couldn't help but hang his head a little

 

 

“I lost my sister...Rhyme will never be the same yo. It ain't like before...she had dreams, things to live for. But you took them away” Beat said darkly

 

 

Rhyme then hanged her head, knowing how deep down she'll never be the same

 

 

“And Shiki” he continued

 

 

“Yo I still can't get over that! I'm still getting used to it! It's crazy seein' dressy girl...I mean...Eri, and Shiki together yo! That Shiki ain't the girl I saw in the UG, and Phones told me how she was actin' how she was just bein' Eri during the first week yo! Not her real self. Phones was the one that got to know the real Shiki, how she was all sad an' alla that! she's better now...but you still hurt her prissy boy” Beat said firmly

 

 

“It's hard for me too. I thought my best friend was dead because of me!” Eri cried out

 

 

Neku then hanged his head again along with Shiki doing the same. Shiki then flashed back to when they met for the first time in a week.

 

 

They greeted each other with Shiki introducing her RG version to her new friends. She taps Neku's back causing them all to see her smile at them and then say: "it's me, it's Shiki" and then they happily high fived each other and began discussing what to do next. After that was settled, they started walking around Shibuya together, heading towards the Scramble Crossing but still close enough to the Hachiko Statue with Neku explaining to Beat and Rhyme why Shiki looks different.

 

"Her body was her entry fee, the way she looks now is the real Shiki. Back then, in the UG we were technically looking at her friend Eri" Neku explained

 

 

"That's crazy yo!" Beat said amazed by Shiki's entry fee

 

 

"Yeah! I can't get over that we never really got to see you!" Rhyme said at Shiki too

 

 

"It really is. I was actually happy about it at first though, because I was so jealous of Eri, my best friend, that back then I wanted to be her." Shiki said smiling, feeling happy from Neku helping her

 

 

She then couldn't help but look sad remembering how that felt

 

 

"I thought she was better than me in every way! so...that's why I even started acting like her. In other words, I...I'm sorry...but I wasn't being real with you, with any of you! I was lying to all of you that whole time!" Shiki said sadly as she walked

 

 

As they were walking, Shiki and the others then stood in shock spotting Eri in the crowd, but still pretty close to them, making Shiki hang her head. Neku, Beat and Rhyme then look behind them, looking worried to see Shiki standing still while hanging her head

 

 

"But you was jealous of your friend yo! You can't help that you were all sad 'n stuff Shiki. Me an' Rhyme still like you, we wanna know you for real" Beat said with his left hand on his shoulder

 

 

"Beat's right Shiki. Now we know that deep down you were just really sad and now everything's better" Rhyme said smiling, making Beat and Neku smile too

 

 

"But...but I lied. I was being Eri, not myself...I...I was so worried, that's why I did all of that" Shiki said with her eyes watering

 

 

Their smiles then leave their faces seeing how hurt Shiki was

 

 

"Worried about what?" Rhyme asked

 

 

"That if you all knew the real me, you...wouldn't like me, that I was better off being Eri. That's why, one of the last things I asked Neku before I left and wasn't his partner was..if when he saw the real me, if we would still be friends." Shiki said desperately fighting tears

 

 

Neku then looked at her sadly seeing how the old Shiki was creeping back

 

 

"You could just as easily replace me with Eri and nothing would be different. You guys were with Eri, not me" Shiki said squeezing Mr. Mew

 

 

She then feels someone place their hand on her right shoulder making her look up at Neku

 

 

"Shiki, don't you remember what I told you about being jealous? Jealousy gives you something to shoot for, and now, on top of that, you have friends. Right here, right now, we want to know YOU, not the old you. That's the person you left behind in the UG. You're like me, you've got friends now. Yeah, it is really weird seeing two Shikis, seeing Eri and you in the same place, but...it's just gonna take some getting used to. I'd NEVER replace you Shiki, ever. That's a promise!" Neku said smiling

 

"He's right yo!" Beat said happily

 

 

"Yeah! That's true, so don't feel bad Shiki! it's okay! We want to be your friend!" Rhyme added

 

 

the sad and lonely Shiki then looks at Neku, Beat and Rhyme in shock, seeing them smile, how happy they were to be with her, the real her.

 

 

"Thanks guys...I...I guess this is a new start for all of us huh? I just need to remember I'm the new me!" Shiki said smiling

 

 

the flashback then ended with Neku, Beat Rhyme saying they'll be there for her too if she still feels unsure of herself

 

 

While Neku and Shiki hanged their heads, they then look up hearing Joshua chuckle

 

 

“I know what I did seems harsh, but in the end, you all became better people for it. In the end, the Reapers' Game helped you all, didn't it?” Joshua asked

 

 

Neku and the others then looked at each other, with Beat, Shiki and Eri (from what Shiki told her about Neku) thought about who he was before the Game

 

 

“Yeah, it really did. I owe you a lot. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have met Neku, and learned how to like myself, helping me realize Eri was still my friend..and I wouldn't have befriended Beat and Rhyme either” Shiki said sweetly

 

 

 

“There you go” Neku said with a smile

 

 

 

“I guess then the Reapers' Game had some good points in it too” Eri said with a smile

 

 

 

Joshua then nodded

 

 

 

the friends then finished lunch together and continued the day, causing Neku to wonder if Joshua would ever not make things uncomfortable, yet was happy that everyone sort of got along. As they all hanged out together again, Joshua thought it would be neat to challenge Neku to a game of Tin Pin Slammer, knowing it would make Neku uncomfortable since the last time he ever played it was for a mission. Neku denies Joshua at first, causing him to tease Neku saying that he can't handle a measly little game, making Neku groan.

 

"What's wrong? Are you really that bothered by how you failed the last time you played this?" Joshua said pulling back his hair

 

 

"Rrrgh! Cut the crap! You know how important it was for me to win that mission! I had to or else I would've lost my entry fee! I...I would've lost--"

 

 

Neku then remembers Shiki was standing near him, making him scratch his head, and made her smile. Neku then sighs

 

"Fine. I don't even really like this game, but I'll play it again just to show you you can't talk me out of something!" Neku said crossing his arms.

 

 

"Good, that's exactly what I was hoping you'd say" Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

 

 

"So, how would we play? it's not like I carry pins in my pockets anymore. Not since I beat the Reapers' Game." Neku asked with his right palm upward and left hand in his pocket

 

 

Joshua then chuckled

 

 

"Oh I already have pins with me" the teen Composer said pulling them from his back pockets, making everyone look shocked

 

 

"You...You planned this?!" Neku yelled in shock, making Joshua laugh again

 

 

"I suppose you could say that. Hee hee. No backing out now, you agreed to this Neku." Joshua said slyly making Neku snarl

 

 

the two boys go back and forth playing multiple rounds, but no matter how much Neku tried, it was as if the Pins Joshua used were sliding away from Neku and dodging his attempts to knock them off the board, making Neku eventually lose all his pins.

 

“cheater” Neku said crossing his arms

 

 

“What's wrong? Can't handle when someone's better than you?” Joshua said slyly

 

 

Eri, Beat and Shiki then chuckled 

 

 

"well, as amusing as that was, I suppose I'll go now" Joshua said as he walked away

 

 

Neku and the others then look at each other confused and when they look back to see where Joshua was, he disappeared. Wondering why Joshua keeps spending a little time with them only to disappear, they decide not to think about it too much and Neku and friends decide to just go walk around the city some more before eventually parting ways. Neku started to head home and as he walked in the crowded streets, he spots Joshua in the crowd and as they looked face to face, Neku noticed how Joshua had a sinister grin on his face

 

 

“I could easily change my mind, and get rid of the tests...if I really wanted to, I could do it right now and use my Composer powers to make Neku die right now in a terrible accident while walking around the city hee hee...but...no...I'll continue with my tests, just to be sure. I need to test Neku's mind and soul. Other than right now, Neku's mind and soul has been much more at ease since the Game.” Joshua thought

 

 

As their eyes stayed locked on each other, the moment Neku blinked, Joshua was gone, making Neku keep walking, not wanting to think about why Joshua had an almost evil smile on his face. Another day of school goes by and ends and the teens walk around the city with Shiki saying it's funny how his grades drop in PE since she knows how he doesn't care for sports that even the written exams for PE sink his grades. They talk about the assignments they're given and how they're all so annoyed by it but anything over having to play the Reapers' Game.

 

 

"Yeah, as much as it sucks. It ain't like someone wants to kill ya in school, like the Reapers yo" Beat said with a chuckle

 

"Tell me about it" Neku said with a grumble

 

Shiki and the others then laughed saying how the Reapers' Game sucks, even if they all became friends because of it. Neku, Shiki, Beat and Rhyme all smiled, feeling free after another monotonous school day. While Eri would've been with them, this time she wasn't due to how she really wanted to go to a certain part of the city

 

 

They decided to start at the Scramble Crossing and then walk around Shibuya from there, just like the Reapers' Game, only much more laid back as the friends all smiled and chatted about where they wanted to go next. As they did, they all spotted the mysterious boy again. He then joined Neku and his friends, and they all ate ramen together. After that, they then went to Towa Records and bought some CDs.

 

 

 

They were filled with disbelief, the Composer of Shibuya, there...just...being normal and not trying to suddenly leave, not seemng like he was in a hurry. Neku couldn't help but feel suspicious but tried to ignore those feelings and enjoy his friends' company. As the friends all spread out around the store to get some CDs, Joshua and Rhyme ended up in the same section. This made Beat uneasy, causing him to keep an eye on his sister from far away

 

 

“Huh? You like Rap and Hip-hop like me and Neku too?” Rhyme said a little stunned

 

 

Joshua then chuckled

 

 

 

“You could say that. Game Over, Junk Garage and Three Minutes Clapping are some of my favorites actually.” he replied

 

 

Rhyme then giggled

 

 

“Hey I like those songs too! You know, I always figured from how Neku and Beat described your appearance, that you'd be a very elegant guy who's more into classical music or something” she said smiling

 

 

Joshua then smiled with his hands in his back pockets

 

 

“I guess then I'll take that as a compliment. Classical music plays a crucial roll in the music we have today. Without the classics, the genres we know and love today may very well not even exist” he said thoughtfully

 

 

Rhyme's smile then went away as she began to think about what Joshua said

 

 

“That makes a lot of sense actually” she said smiling again while agreeing with him.

 

 

Her smile then vanished as a painful memory came up again, making Joshua look at her curiously

 

 

“I wonder if she holds against me what I did to her? Rhyme is a very kind girl after all, I don't see her as the type to hold a grudge. At the same time though, I affected her life in a very dramatic way. I could have just as easily slowed down that car if I wanted to, thanks to having access to my Composer abilities in the RG” Joshua thought

 

 

Rhyme then looked at Joshua with watery eyes

 

 

as this was happening, Neku and Shiki were listening to some rock music, she then introduced Neku to some more metal, causing Shiki to headbang and do the rock on sign. Seeing the shy girl he knows become so different when affected by the music made Neku smile, thinking this sort of irony in her was kind of cute. She then stopped and lowered the volume, asking him what he thought causing him to say that, she's made him a fan of metal now.

 

"I had no idea there were so many styles to metal. It's pretty rad" he said smiling with his right hand upward and left in his pocket, making Shiki giggle

 

 

"That's why I like it so much. I'm glad you gave it a chance" she said sweetly

 

 

 

they listened to two more one being a Power Metal song and one being Heavy Metal and then dance/techno, causing them to find Eri there, they then saw Beat, and headed towards him to be with the others as Rhyme talked about how she felt.

 

 

 

Joshua, Rhyme and Beat then left the building, causing Neku and the others to follow them. They knew that by doing that, it had to be something that shouldn't spoken about so openly, like the Reapers' Game, causing the friends to walk away from the building

 

 

“It's just...it's been really hard you know? Since you really are the one who did all those things...it means that...I lost who I was, and it...was because of you. You're the one in charge of the Game and Beat's entry fee was my love for him, I forgot who my own brother was!” she said sadly

 

 

“Even if I have new friends thanks to the Game, I'll never have my entree fee back. I'll never be who I once was, I had a ton of reasons to live, according to Beat...but now it's all gone! You made Shiki lose her body and Neku forgot who he was too! You've done so many terrible things to us! I don't know how I could ever forgive you! I know you had your reasons, but it still doesn't change the fact that the Reapers' Game all hurt us!” Rhyme said hurt

 

 

“Rhyme! It ain't like that now yo! Yeah we went through a lotta crap thanks to the Game, but now we got Phones, Shiki an' now Eri right?” Beat said sadly

 

 

“He's right Rhyme” Neku added “Don't focus on what you can't change. Focus on the now, right now, the present. No matter what, there's always some things you can't change. But even if that's true, all we can then do, is focus on what we can, right?”

 

 

Rhyme then looked up at Neku

 

 

“It was cause of you guys that I did after all. You guys helped me live a life I never thought I could.” he said sweetly

 

 

“that's what the Reapers' Game is about, even if you suffer, there are ways you can become strong and do things you never thought you could. In the end, even I ended up doing that by sparing Shibuya” Joshua said wisely

 

 

“Yeah, thanks guys. It's true, we all now get another chance at life thanks to Joshua too” she said sweetly

 

 

“that's better” Shiki said happily

 

 

the group of friends then walked around Shibuya for what felt like hours, as they did, from a distance, they spotted: Megumi, Sho, Konishi, Higashizawa, Nao and Sota, everyone who had ever faced Erasure in the Reapers' Game was brought back to life.

 

 

Seeing this made Neku and the others look at Joshua in shock.

 

 

“It's like what we talked about a few hours ago...when I brought you all back to life, l included them too. I gave Shibuya a second chance after my duel with Neku, so I figured that they deserved one too, all of you did. Well, even if I didn't bring back Minamymoto myself, that was Coco instead” Joshua said looking towards the Reapers

 

 

“Joshua?” Shiki said a little curious

 

 

Joshua then pulled his hair back and chuckled

 

 

“I did everything for what I thought was right for the city. After all, I am the Composer” he said slyly, making everyone uncomfortable

 

 

the friends then continued walking for many hours, as the day began to end, Joshua became very serious causing him to look at Neku

 

 

“As entertaining as this little day was, I'm afraid I'll have to alter your memories again Neku. I don't want you having any outside influence that could affect your decision making. I want your actions to be as genuine as possible” Joshua said darkly

 

 

“Outside influences?!” Neku screamed shaking his fist “What are you talking about?! What are you planning to--

 

 

with a snap of his fingers, Joshua made Neku and the others get headaches so intense they cringed in pain from feeling a zap. This made it so Neku and the others still hanged out with Joshua all this time but only for almost one week and spend the rest of their three months and a half without him. He also then deleted the last conversation, about outside influences.

 

 

“Nngh!” Neku grunted as he panted out of breath

 

 

he and the others then looked around wondering where Joshua went, but he was gone. Tired from walking almost all day together, the friends then parted ways and went home, causing Neku to fall alseep shortly after.


	5. The First Test

Thanks to all that walking they did Neku slept like a baby with little to no movement in his sleep, but sadly all good things come to an end as Neku's school alarm went off many hours later (the song he chose for his school alarm was Noisy Noise, he felt like that would definitely help him wake up for school with its fast paced, and intense sound)

 

 

"Ugh" Neku groaned "here we go again" he thought, as he turned off his alarm and turned on the light to his room.

 

 

Neku did is morning routine of changing his clothes into his school uniform being a shirt just like Joshua's but white, with black pants and kept his normal shoes on, since he knew he would change into matching black school shoes at his locker. The girl verson of the uniform is a plain white shirt with a dark blue skirt, a black tie and gray stockings, along with black shoes.

 

 

He then breakfast, cleaning up after his black and white cat with white "socks" on her paws named Aya and made sure she had enough food. Although he never seemed like it, Neku is quite the animal lover, after all, they care about their owner for who they are and never abandon them, they hurt the owner from the owner hurting them

 

 

 

he then got his art folder filled with drawings, sketches and graffiti drawn in marker he made and shoved it in his book bag and rode his bycycle to school.

 

 

 

His day started off like any other, boring and monotonous as for as long as he was in in that building, that is… until he noticed something happening in the hallway. Shiki and Eri happily walked in the hallway together as Shiki told Eri the funny story of how Neku freaked out over Mr. Mew and how he thought Mr. Mew was a pig.

 

 

 

A boy in the distance caught sight of the "piggy" and approached them Yamato Kobayashi, the school bully. He had a physic similar to beat except at an incredible 6'1 people knew not to mess with him.

 

 

 

"hmmm" The Composer thinks as he too is observing the bully invisible in the RG "this boy seems to be the perfect target, I just have to increase his strength just a little bit more" with a wave of his hand, he sends a grey aura around the bully (invisible to people in the RG) with his well known smug, and arrogant smile he then sits back and watches what unfolds.

 

 

"heh what the hell's wrong with you nerd?" Yamato mocked Shiki "ain't you a little too old to be walking around with some doll"

 

 

"Shut up!" Shiki yells," he's not some doll. He's Mr. Mew the Cat!"

 

 

 

"Yeah, Why don't you back off?!?" Eri joined in

 

 

Neku watching from the distance began to feel intense clenching his teeth fuming at Yamato for messing with Shiki, he wanted to charge in but he knew he had to observe the situation before getting himself in trouble.

 

 

"Wait!" he thought to himself "I need to be careful, I need to see where this is gonna go. I'll only get involved if Shiki really needs me." as much as he hated just standing there (to the point it was gut wrenching) he knew this was the best decision.

 

 

Yamato smiled and says "oh Mr. Mew the cat? What are you, five? I hope he likes to play with others, loser" it's at that moment he took the cat away causing Shiki to lunge at him

 

 

"Give him back!" Shiki screamed

 

 

he reacted to this by grabbing Shiki by the neck and slamming her against a locker.

 

 

"Shiki!" Eri cried then Yamato punched Eri in the face sending her flying with such force when she hit another locker she became unconscious.

 

 

Shiki gasped in fear at how strong he was. Neku seeing this too began to feel his heart race. He was scared, he's never seen a person that strong… in the RG at least. At this point other students gathered around to see what was happening.While some ran off, to get a teacher for help

 

 

Yamato, amused by the attention teases her

 

 

"Go on, try to get your kitty back. You shouldn't even have a little kid toy like this in school, loser! Doing this sort of stupid crap, it's just asking for it." he says taunting her

 

 

she reaches for the cat again only to be punched in the stomach to the point she leaned forward clenching it as she cringed from the pain. he then punches her in the face sending Shiki against a wall

 

 

"Come on Shiki please" Neku thought as he watched, his hands trembling with anger. "Please, fight back. I know you've got this, you took down a Game Master with me, remember?! This guy's nothing compared to that! Plus he was waaay bigger too, and you fought the Conductor with me!"

 

 

Shiki then began to scream in pain as Yamato hit her punching her in the stomach and throwing her against one of the lockers. he then punched her face more and more until she screamed for help.

 

 

"why?" Neku said softly "WHAT THE HELL?!?" Neku screamed he charged toward the crazed bully

 

 

(the crowed started to cheer as if this was just a show they were watching, while others began to record the fight on their cellphones which got some teachers attention) Adrenaline surged through Neku as he ran faster and faster determined to make Yamato pay and landed an upper cut to his jaw.

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki cried "get away from here, he's crazy!" Neku looked at her covered in bruises and some covering her whole body and also had bruises on her face and even parts of her glasses were cracked.

 

 

The mere sight of it made his blood boil as he hid his face from Shiki trying to fight the tears building up in his eyes.

 

 

"aw what's wrong?" Yamato asks "that was a pretty good punch there, and here I thought you were actually going to fight me!"

 

 

Neku gritted his teeth at the bully insulting him. Infuriated, Neku let out another roar as he tries to punch him again, except this time, Yamato blocked Neku's punch causing him to retaliate by swinging his leg underneath the bully making him lose balance, and let go of Neku's fist.

 

 

 

It's because of this that he was then sent flying as Neku slams his fist into his off balance opponent's stomach. Yamato then instantly screamed as he cringed in pain causing Neku to grin. It was at this moment Neku became much more aggressive.

 

 

Yamato then grabbed Neku's shirt collar and pulled him towards himself causing Neku to receive a blow right to the face with such force, not only did it cause Neku to scream in pain landing on his back, feeling his jaw ache from the punch

 

 

"PLEASE!" Shiki cried, "please go Neku, run! this guy will kill you! please just go!" she was so terrified that she began to cry.

 

 

"SCREW THAT!" Neku yelled he then looked at the bully directly in the eyes (reassuring Shiki) and says "I've faced bigger monsters before"

 

 

At this moment students watched in fear with the realization that Yamato was mentally insane. No sane person would attack with such a lust to kill. As Yamato tried to punch Neku again, Neku dodged his attacks, making Yamato smash his fists into lockers makers making him cringe in pain. He didn't seem to care though as he got more determined to punch Neku again.

 

 

"This guy's strength, it feels off. I gotta be careful" Neku thought

 

 

 

he then ran away from the bully to go to a specific locker, knowing Yamato would follow him

 

 

 

"I'll freaking kill you Sakuraba, coward!" Yamato screamed as he ran towards him

 

 

As Yamato was hot on his trail, Neku then pulled open his locker and grabbed Yamato by the neck and smashed the bully's head with it five times, each time making Yamato scream. Neku then stopped and backed away, thinking the blows to the head would knock him out, but to his surprise, although Yamato did get dizzy for a few seconds, he then shrugged it off and smiled at Neku.

 

 

"what?! but I slammed the door of my locker into his face, how the hell did that not knock him out?!" Neku thought frustrated

 

 

the deranged bully, then began choking Neku and smashing his head against the lockers as Neku wheezed trying to breath. He then takes his left hand off of Neku's neck and punched him in the stomach so hard, Neku couldn't help but lean forward clenching his stomach, which then made Yamato punch Neku's face five times making Neku grunt in pain

 

 

"Nnngh, damn it" he muttered 

 

 

"I can't let him get any closer to Shiki, she's already beaten up pretty badly...and I sure as hell am not letting her getting beaten to death, not after how she went through so much just to be alive again, just to like herself." he thought trying to motivate himself

 

 

As hurt as he was, Neku then managed to get back up, seeing Yamato was standing farther away from him. He then ran towards Neku getting ready to tackle him, causing Neku to do the same. Eventually teachers got involved and tried to separate the two boys. But Yamato knocked all of the teachers away from him.

 

 

 

He then charged towards Neku, and he did the same. Fuming with hate, rage and disgust towards Yamato. Neku charged into him, tackling him with such force he instantly knocked him to the ground wrapping his legs around his waist locking him with Neku.

 

 

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT HER ANYMORE!' he screamed as he punched the Composer Energy charged bully in the face over and over as Neku's punches were like thunder as they smashed against his enemy's jaw.

 

 

His eyes became a blurry bluish black color like all traces of Neku were gone, like he had shut down. Although he was trying to protect her, he got a little too into the thought of making Yamato suffer, making him fight more viciously 

 

 

Shiki watched in horror as the boy she once knew, the one who wanted to protect her, became a monster in the process she then remembers how she too had nearly died because of him. The day she was almost killed in the UG played in her head…

 

 

"Neku…Don't Kill me"

 

 

"I have to"

 

 

It's at this moment the principal himself pushed everyone away and screamed, "That's enough!" and pulled Neku off of him and walked over to the office, Neku didn't resist. In a way he was glad it was over. His eyes met shiki's still that cold lifeless color, but when he looked at her, his eyes went back to normal but his eyes widened with horror, from the fear in her eyes… and he instantly knew what frightened her.

 

 

The unconscious bully was taken to a hospital, and shiki's wounds were luckily not as bad as they looked and she managed to stay the rest of the day in school. Eri had also finally regained conciousness

 

 

In the principals office, Mr. Hichizaki screamed at Neku, demanding him to say why he fought another student. But he was silent. Burring his eyes under his bangs. Trapped in his mind with thoughts racing.

 

 

"Shiki… I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened to me… Am I really going back? Back to the old me? The one who nearly killed you? I...I didn;t want to kill you, honest. I really didn't, but I had to. At least...that's how the situation seemed back then...I had to kill you, or else I would die"

 

 

"NEKU SAKURABA!" the principal yelled, "Answer me right now, or I'll call your parents and let you tell them what happened!" "You could've beaten that boy to death, what were you thinking?!"

 

 

Neku's fists trembled again feeling his anger burn inside making him stand out of his chair and yell at the principal

 

 

"WHAT I DID WAS WRONG ALRIGHT?! I KNOW I almost killed him. But he was hurting Shiki! No one helped her no one cared! He even tried to take something precious away from her!" Neku roared

 

 

The principal looked in shock "Well what was it?" he asked

 

 

"her piggy...er...Mr. Mew" Neku replied

 

 

"That cat thing she likes to carry? That she often times will bring to classes?" The principal said more calmly.

 

 

"Yeah" Neku said calming down as well sitting back down

 

 

"I know it looks like some toy, but it's not. that piggy is the first thing she ever sewed, the one thing that inspired her to be something greater, to make clothes. It's cause of that toy I got to know her, her hopes and dreams. …I Just couldn't stand seeing her in pain…"

 

 

Neku burries his face again trying to deal with the greif he felt

 

 

"I know it's cliché for people my age to act like we're in love, or to think that we'll be friends forever, all that stereotypical crap...but…Shiki, Beat, his sister Rhyme, and Joshua they all helped me in ways no one else ever could."

 

 

 

The Principal looked at Neku in shock

 

 

"Well now, who would've thought. I never knew they meant so much to you, why if I didn't know any better I'd say it sounds like you'd do anything for them" he exclaimed exaggerating

 

 

 

"you don't know the half of it" Neku thought "I did that for three weeks, putting my life at risk, to give her a second chance at living…"

 

 

 

"I still can't believe you took him down so easily Neku, it's almost as if you knew what you were doing." the principal said

 

 

"yeah it's crazy what adrenaline can do to a person" Neku responded,

 

 

 

"that's really because I've taken down monsters MUCH stronger than him" he thought.

 

 

 

"tell you what Neku, I know you're a good kid, and stay out of trouble, so… instead of expulsion--" the principal said

 

 

 

"do what ever you want, no punishment could ever compare to being nearly killed for three weeks, for almost an entire month" he thought in his head.

 

 

 

"You will get off with a warning this time since this is your first offence. Sound fair?" The principle asked

 

 

"Yeah...I-I mean, yes sir. Thanks" Neku replied trying to seem respectful

 

 

He thanked the principal for his generousity of only warning him this time, and left the room to see a disheartened Shiki.

 

 

"Hey" he said weakly "…Shiki, I...I know what scared you… it was me wasn't it? I know what that probably reminded you of too… you know back when I--"

 

 

At this moment shiki ran up to him and hugged him saying "it's okay...I know you're not a monster, you protected me Neku."

 

 

"Thanks" he said quetly

 

 

And with that the composer left the scene with a satisfied grin on his face.


	6. The Second Test

It was late at night 12:45 AM Neku still couldn't find a way to go to sleep, no matter what he tried. In addition to how it's hard to sleep in a city no matter what since it's always so loud even at night.

 

 

He forced his eyes shut, only to open them again. He was restless. He was still in shock over what he did when he got in that fight. He beat someone up that was 6'4 he was as strong as Beat, but much more aggressive. "the freaking rhino" Neku nicknamed him.

 

 

"he broke open a wall with his bare hands in the Reapers' Game, NO ONE could do that." Neku thought. "so than how… how did someone as scrawny as me last that long against Yamato? in the UG my strength was all thanks to my pins… and my partner"

 

 

 

"Joshua?" he wondered. "Did he give me some boost of energy to protect Shiki? … I mean sure they're not really friends but, Joshua's not all bad… He spared Shibuya, even after revealing to me he was going to destroy it. He brought me back to life. He protected me from Pi Face. He's the Composer, he can do anything right?"

 

 

 

"Ugh" He groaned, "I might as well just forget it and go to sleep. Thinking about it will just keep me up more… Besides, Shiki would worry about me if she saw me tired in school." He thought.

 

 

 

So as hard as it was, Neku eventually found a way to go to sleep. Meanwhile on top 104 the two figures spoke to each other discussing Neku's performance.

 

 

 

"You know Boss, I was worried at first since it's been only three months and a half since Phones has ever been in any danger… or should I say any real danger." But I think he's still strong enough to help us. You sure you don't wanna get someone else? There's other people in Shibuya with his level of imagination too. Besiedes, Neku and his friends deserve to be happy." the man said

 

 

"Of course he is Mr. H, Neku's soul was nearly at the Reapers' level at the end of my little game. Which as you know, is why he was able to summon Rhyme's Noise form. As for choosing someone else, while there are other people like him in Shibuya, and back at our home, I can't help but want to choose him. After all, he's my Proxy." the Composer reminded him. Glowing a bright white color with a grey aura around him, being only a few inches taller than Mr. H.

 

 

"Ah yes, but remember how he killed the Conductor? He fused his energy with that young lady… Shiki was it? Beat, and most impressive of all, you. No Reaper could've fused all of that energy together with his or her own, and keep it stable, Unless they were the Conductor. Phones has the potential to become an extremely powerful spirit, should he leave his shell." Mr. H told him.

 

 

"and that's exactly where his last test will come in" the Composer smiled menacingly

 

 

"Oh Josh" Mr. H sighed dropping all formality (the composer knew when he did this, he was talking to him as a friend, not a being with a high ranking)

 

 

So Joshua snapped his fingers and became his human form, the form Neku was used to seeing.

 

 

"yes Mr. H?" Joshua said smiling

 

 

With that remark, suddenly Mr. H became very serious. Something the laid back man does very rarely, and his face darkened.

 

 

"You saw what happened to Phones's soul when he fought to protect Shiki right? How unstable his soul became?"

 

 

"Why yes, I did. His energy is usually white with a dark blue outline and flows in a wavy like motion, like an aura borealis, showing the control and stability it had. But once Neku lost control over himself, it became frantic like a fire burning. Which is when his eyes darkened and he behaved aggressively. I found it quite entertaining. What's your point?" Joshua asked curiously

 

 

"My point Joshua, is that I don't think you should push him too hard. We both know what'll happen if his mind and soul destabilizes to a certain point. He could face Soul Obstruction, which is especially risky in the RG, since you know what that could attract towards him, and, how it's even worse in the Higher Plane." Mr. H warned

 

 

"Yes, I know" Joshua groaned "That's why after the second test I'll take him to our home, where he can learn of his true potential."

 

 

another boring week of school had passed for Neku, and in all honesty, he hoped the rest of his day would stay that way would stay that way. Both Neku and Shiki were still hurt mentally from what happened to them both in the fight. They decided to hang out and go eat some food together. They went to Sunshine Stationside and after having little snacks as they waited for Beat and the others to arrive, Neku pulled out a piece of paper and a mechanical pencil from his shorts deep pockets and placed it on the table and began drawing Mr. Mew. 

 

 

He had Mr. Mew sitting in front of him and analyzed the cat, observing how the light and shadows would hit him at the restaurant. He then would take out his mechanical pencil and sketch out the toy, glancing at the "piggy" every now and then to check for mistakes. Then he began outlining him, and adding details like Mr. Mew's eyes, the white little patches he had on his paws and the inside of his ears. Finally, he then colored the cat in a circular motion allowing him to color the cat and not make it look like he scribbled, and varied the amount of pressure he put on the paper to lighten the led and show the amount of contrast. After applying the final details, he placed the pencil down and smiled at Shiki

 

 

 

"and that is how you draw your piggy" Neku exclaimed as he finally finished showing Shiki how to draw completely based off of sight.

 

 

 

 

Shiki said her usual remark, "Neku… he's a cat" and glared at him.. Then smiled. She looked at the paper and gazed in awe at the amount of detail he put into the drawing, he even added stitch marks on Mr. Mew to make him feel more like a toy.

 

 

"this is amazing" she chuckled

 

 

"heh, come on Shiki, it's not that good. Mr. Mew's nothing compared to the graffiti I make." Neku replied

 

 

"true" she said agreeing with Neku since she's seen his artwork before.

 

 

They then waited with Neku pulling out his cellphone showing Shiki some of the graffiti he's drawn causing Shiki to remark on how detailed and cool they all look. Shiki then got her phone out and showed Neku the drawings and sketches she made. He knows how Eri said she was never meant to be a designer, and while that may be true, he figured he could help Shiki learn how to draw so she could plan out how she wants her clothes to look. He loved seeing how all the techniques he taught her have helped her improve her drawing skills, but before he got to show Shiki one of his best drawings, making outer space with Graffiti on a Poster board

 

 

Beat, Rhyme and Eri then all arrived at and talked about how they were happy to see Neku and Shiki, making them say the same thing. Neku and the others then went and ordered their food to eat with Neku getting his usual favorite food from Sunshine, a Tatsumi Burger and chicken nuggets. When everyone got their favorite foods to eat, they then all sat down together. Eri then remarked on how she thought it was neat that he likes Tatsumi Burgers too since she does as well. As the friends all smiled and enjoyed each other's company, a man with light blue-gray hair appeared wearing gray jeans and had a dark blue shirt with black shoes and tan skin with green eyes.

 

"Huh? that guy looks sort of like the Grim Heaper" Neku thought 

 

Neku's friends then notice how Neku was looking at the man but then Neku looked away, not wanting the man to catch him staring. As he tried to just focus on eating his food and being with his friends he heard the man say something that instantly caught Neku, and his friend's attention.

 

"So...have you ever heard of the Reapers?" the man asked Rikako Toda

 

 

She then looks at him confused

 

 

"Wha...what are you talking about? I've heard of them through people playing Reaper Creeper but..."

 

 

The man then continues

 

 

"DId you know they have a game? A game where they try to kill people? I would know...

 

 

Neku and the others then look at the man in shock

 

 

"I was one of their players" He said slyly

 

 

The Sho-look alike then reaches into his shirt and pulls out a gun, making Neku flashback to his death in Udagawa

 

 

"If he's a former Player then...why? Why is he doing this?! This...this can't be really happening!" Neku thought terrified

 

 

he sees everyone run and try to duck under tables and chairs causing him to approach someone as he walked away from the shop owner and targeted someone else. The footsteps of the man echoed as he then leans down shoots someone he then fired a few more times and then and began reloading. The very sound of it made Neku's heart race, and palms begin to sweat. Shiki and Beat could only wonder how horrifying this was for him, since this was like his death being tossed right back at his face. As they watch him turn ghostly white.

 

 

"No!" Neku thought in his head "Don't come in here! Don't please don't!"

 

 

Neku's heart began pounding as he heard the person come closer and closer with his footsteps getting louder with each step he took. At this point Neku closed his eyes clenching his teeth trembling, as he laid on his knees with his hands balled up into fists.

 

 

Shiki and Beat hated seeing Neku so overwhelmed but they knew there was nothing they could do. if they tried to console him they'd risk exposing Neku and themselves to the man threatening Sunshine. His footsteps finally came to a stop and when he did, it was like Neku couldn't breathe all he could do was stare at the crazy former Player, fearing that what he dreaded was about to happen. 

 

 

"I will be the one who ends your misery" The Gunman said "and I will show all of you how NOTHING is special about it us. we are the ones that are slowly destroying our world"

 

 

Neku listened in horror to what the boy said.

 

 

"We humans are worthless, spineless, little monsters always hurting each other, abandoning each other. DOESN'T THAT MAKE YOU SICK?!" he asked "has anyone here been betrayed, or hurt? Have you ever wanted to change this city?"

 

 

"NOOOOO!" Neku thought nervously "this guy, he's just like me! Is THIS what I would've turned into if I didn't have friends?! Is THIS what I would've turned into if no one cared about me?! not even my parents?! NO! There has to be more to it than that right?! I...I wouldn't go crazy from not having anyone care right?"

 

 

He then remembered his conversation with the Conductor asking Neku to help him change the world and how at one point he would've said yes to helping him

 

 

"maybe living in your Shibuya would be easier, MAYBE! But there's just one problem, it wouldn't be Shibuya!"

 

 

Shiki noticed Neku staring in shock quickly tapped him in the arm causing him to look up, and gave him a cold, serious look, like she's trying to say "Don't get anxious Neku, DON'T expose yourself! He'll hear you"

 

 

 

Neku then nodded his head understanding her… still ghostly white with fear, but thanks to Shiki he stopped being frozen in fear.

 

 

 

"How about you?" the crazed man asked totally unaware he was just two tables away from Neku.

 

 

He then points the gun at Ai, a girl he interacted with while in the UG

 

 

"N-NO!" she screamed tears streaming down her face

 

 

"NO?!?" the yelled at her "Ignorance...you're disgusting! you don't deserve to live" and shot her in the forehead as her body fell with a loud thud

 

 

The moment he fired Neku squeezed his hair from the sound, instantly seeing Joshua doing the same to him in his mind. Bang another gunshot, this time it was Ai and Eri's friend Mina shot in the chest just like Neku.

 

 

He squeezed his hair even tighter with the seconded shot seeing Joshua point his gun at him in his mind as Joshua just smiled at him and he suddenly had a gut-wrenching feeling in his stomach.

 

 

"Joshua!" he thought "Joshua, you gotta do something! make it STOP! You're Shibuya's Composer right?! You can stop this RIGHT?!"

 

 

But all he could see was Joshua smiling at him in his mind as he cocked the gun and kill him in Udagawa

 

 

Bang, bang, bang more bodies slammed into the ground with some of them being close to Neku. He then flashed back to seeing their duel to decide the fate of Shibiuya

 

 

"This is...just like our duel...we had pistols then too...but...I couldn't do it. Not even with how angry and hurt I felt...HOW?! How can someone...just...shoot people like this?! At least...with Joshua, he did it and spared Shibuya. But this isn't mercy, this isn't sparing ANYONE!" Neku thought terrfied

 

 

the gunman then reloads his gun and walked around the room some more

 

 

Neku was so wrapped in fear clenching that he cringed not wanting to see what was happening

 

 

"Stop" he whispered barley even speaking

 

 

"awwww what's the matter? You don't like my lesson?" the man responded twirling his gun in his hand happily

 

 

At this moment Neku opened his eyes to see the man pointing the gun right at Neku's face. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't all he could do was just stare at the man.

 

 

"heh" the man chuckled satisfied with the fear he's inflicted upon Neku "you're not even worth killing"

 

 

The man circled the restaurant, like a shark circling its prey.

 

 

"now… who shall learn the truth of humanity? Even when we leave the UG and enter the RG again! We're nothing more than people waiting to die at the hand of the Reapers!" he cried

 

 

Bang

 

 

"stop" Neku thought "make it stop… Please…."

 

 

Bang another body falls dead and he hears some people scream

 

 

"I can't… I can't take this" at this point Neku's squeezed his hair cringing

 

 

"I can't" he muttered

 

 

he then went into a full blown anxiety attack, feeling his heart pound against his chest and feel his stomach hurt. The man then repeats his cycle of circling the room for victims

 

 

Mr. H and Joshua watch the test closely

 

 

"Boss!" Mr. H exclaims telepathically "Phones's energy, look!"

 

 

Joshua looks in horror seeing how Neku's soul destabilized to the point it's frantic surging out of control like lightning with his energy breaking apart into little specs.

 

 

"This has to stop. he'll attract THEM at this rate! If we're not careful, he could even be possessed!" The Composer said telpathically to Mr. H "I have to do it in a way not too obvious"

 

 

the man reloads his gun again and walks to a certain table completely not seeing Beat by a few inches

 

 

"How about you?"

 

 

The man suddenly lunges towards someone next to Neku's left causing him to open his eyes from hearing the sound of a girl scream, making him widen his eyes.

 

 

"Shiki!" he thought

 

 

She starts to scream louder in fear and tries to resist him by hanging on to a leg of the table with both hands (with her toy underneath her desk) desperate to not let go and began trying to kick the man's face to make him lose his grip, which only caused him to scream, "YOU LITTLE BITCH!" and pulled her by the leg slamming her into the wall behind him

 

 

Shiki howled in pain as she makes impact with the wall.

 

 

"NOOOOO!" Neku roars as he soars from beneath the table to the man

 

 

punching him in the face with an uppercut, causing him to drop the gun. Neku quickly dashes for it and points it at the man's face

 

 

"heh, not bad" he admitted "go on, you've earned it. I have no real reason to live anyway and not a lot of people have the guts to do what you did. Even if you try to reason with them, and talk to them through Reaper Creeper, we're all destined to be killed by the Reapers." Neku was frozen, remembering how Joshua did the same thing. He offered Neku to kill him.

 

 

All he could see in his head was that smug little smile on Joshua's face and flashed back to his duel with him and what Joshua said to him

 

 

"it was me Neku, all of it. I'm Shibuya's Composer."

 

 

He then sees the duel play as a flashback in his head, and sees himself crying with teardrops falling from his face and then opens his eyes and points the gun at Joshua, causing him to do the same. Neku then sees his arms tremble in the flashback and lowers the gun seeing Joshua laugh at him before getting shot.

 

 

As he held the gun pointed at the man Neku couldn't help but feel his arms tremble with fear unsure of what to do.

 

 

"I...can't" Neku whispered to himself

 

 

"you want to know why?" the man asked shaking his head (while keeping a firm grip on Shiki's arm so she can't get away)

 

 

"it's cause you're stupid…selfish and unable to think of anyone but yourself...even with this girl's life in danger, you can't bring yourself to kill me. You're just a WEAK! PATHETIC! LITTLE BOY!" he screamed.

 

 

With that remark he then grabs the gun from Neku's hands cocks the gun aiming at Neku's face

 

 

"Noooo!" Beat screamed in his head with his eyes watering as he looked at Neku

 

 

 

"NEKUUUUU!" Shiki screamed. Causing Neku to gasp as he was snapped out of the trance his fear inflicted

 

 

 

"Alright, since he means so much to you, I'll kill you instead" he said in a soft tone of voice pointing the gun at Shiki.

 

 

"SHIKIIIII!" Neku roared running to her.

 

 

With adrenaline coursing through him, Neku ran to Shiki as fast as he could getting to his friend in a matter of seconds and arrived just in time to push Shiki out of the way causing the man to let go of her.

 

 

Bang

 

 

Neku suddenly felt an intense pain in his body and saw everything turn sideways as he collapsed…

 

 

To be continued…


	7. Awakening

He slowly opens his eyes and feels a sharp pain

 

 

"Nnngh!" Neku grunted clenching his left shoulder. Squinting from the pain

 

 

"I'm alive?" he said just barely beyond a whisper with his eyes halfway open

 

 

he unclasped his hand from his shoulder to reveal it covered in bandages, and that they extended across his chest and realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. He looked around and saw he was in an unfamiliar room covered in bland, white walls.

 

 

It had a small TV suspended in the air as it was attached to a platform holding it in place. He saw a window to the left of the room revealing the busy streets he's come to know.

 

 

To his right, he saw a card with Mr. Mew drawn on it saying "hang in there" written in English as he tried to hang on to a tree branch (Neku learned how to read, write, and speak English. It was difficult but he eventually learned the language)

 

 

 

"Shiki…She was here?" he says weakly. He manages to reach for the card regardless of how weak, sore and heavy his body felt and read in his head what it was.

 

 

Neku, you've always been there for me. Helping me, supporting me, teaching me how to "Enjoy every moment with all you've got" Showing me the importance of accepting who I am. Now it's my turn to be there for you. Please, don't stop fighting Neku, don't give up on yourself. You taught me better than that. I'll see you when you get out of here. ~Shiki

 

 

"heh, heh" Neku chuckles

 

 

"Her handwriting looks so neat and delicate, but I guess that sense of precision with her hands comes with being a seamstress" he thought remarking on her cursive (since she can write in english)

 

 

He then notices his parents got him a card too, and they also told him their thoughts on how they're glad he's alive, that he's okay and how they were terrified of losing him. They also added that they were proud of him for protecting his friend, and how although a little reckless of him, they also said they were so impressed by his bravery and told him not to worry about school.

 

 

It had been closed for the rest of the week because of what happened so people could mourn the loss of the students that had died, and he could rest.

 

 

"well, that's good" Neku thought, "at least I can rest knowing I won't get behind in school work. But still, what happened? How'd I get here? …and.. How am I still alive?"

 

 

At this moment his eyes widened and Neku immediately grabbed a pillow behind him to muffle out the agony filled scream he unleashed as all his pain flowed into it.

 

 

"what.. What just happened?!" he thought squeezing his hair as he began to pant. "my head's pounding! …Wait AGAIN?!"

 

 

squinting from the pain he manages to open his right eye

 

 

"Nnngh! J-Joshua?" he says weakly.

 

 

He sees the boy he knew glowing a bright white color with a grey aura, standing at 14'1. With his head nearly touching the ceiling of the hospital. Luckily for Neku this mysterious being had his presence very low so Neku could be in front of it and not die from the pain of its true presence

 

 

"This is what I really am" he declares in an echoey distorted voice, like multiple Joshuas were talking

 

 

With a snap of his fingers the Composer transformed into his human form, Joshua. Being his smug self as usual stood with his hands in his back pockets with a smug smile

 

 

"Oh Neku, how you wound me, I haven't seen you in a while, and when you finally see me again you don't even bother saying hello?!" Joshua said smiling

 

 

"…the pain's gone" Neku thought with relief, opening his eyes and unclenching his hair.

 

 

Neku took a deep breath and sighed

 

 

"not now Joshua… really not in the mood…. What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be running Shibuya?" he asked curiously

 

 

Joshua then chuckled

 

 

"Of course! But I couldn't stand the thought of my dear little Proxy nearly getting himself killed. Hee hee" he says while pulling back his hair letting out his creepy laugh

 

 

Neku looked at him annoyed but then Joshua showed all of his humor vanishing before him as Joshua stood with his hands by his sides.

 

 

"Ugh, you really need to be more careful Neku. I'm in enough trouble as it is in the Higher Plane for not running the Reapers' Game the way they wanted it to be."

 

 

Neku then looked at Joshua in shock

 

 

"THEY?! Who's "they" and the Higher Plane? What the hell are you talking about?!" Neku yelled frustrated shaking his fist

 

 

"I'll explain all of that later" Joshua replies "Do you want to know why you're alive right now? It's because of me."

 

 

Neku's eyes widened as he was in even more shock trying to analyze everything he's telling him.

 

 

"because of you?! What did you--" Neku roared

 

 

"If I hadn't interfered Neku, you'd be dead right now" Joshua said seriously

 

 

Neku became pale realizing what Joshua had done…

 

 

"the bullet? He exclaimed

 

 

 

"Very observant Neku" Joshua answered "Do you even realize what a risky move you took?! How you were right there Neku, right in front of that psycho with the gun. He should've shot you in the head, you were right within his range."

 

 

 

Neku was speechless, terrified by the reality of how he was so close he really was to losing his life. …again

 

 

 

"and you made it reaaaally tough for me to save you" he continued crossing his arms

 

 

 

"Since you were so close to the man, I had barely any time to react. BUT, luckily I did. I lowered the angle of the bullet originally aimed at your head, by lowering the gun" Joshua explained

 

 

 

"However I had to do this with the utmost care, one slip up could've killed you, someone else in the room, or blow my cover. On top of that, when he shot the bullet I had to slow its impact due to how it would've blown a hole right through your shoulder. You lost quite a lot of blood Neku, even with my help." Joshua said sternly

 

 

 

Neku was finally able to bring himself to speak but barely

 

 

"I...I was...about to die?!" he muttered

 

 

 

Neku then became anxious wondering what else happened

 

 

"but…WHAT ABOUT SHIKI?! WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?! SHE WAS ABOUT TO BE SHOT BY THAT GUY! DID THAT GUNMAN GO AFTER HER WHEN I PASSED OUT?!" an anxious Neku yelled

 

 

 

"No" Joshua reassured him "He was about to kill Shiki as she held you in her arms with her eyes watering, but the police arrived and killed the gunman just in time. After that, an Ambulance also arrived at the school just in case there were people that were injured. Then you were placed on a stretcher and the ambulance brought you here" Joshua explained

 

 

 

Neku then looked at Joshua terrified just imagining what he must've looked like

 

 

To be continued...


	8. Refreshed

Neku stared at Joshua with disbelief. Still trying to take in the fact that he'd be dead right now, if it wasn't for his jerk of a friend. How even though Joshua drives him crazy, in the long run, he's actually a good friend. 

 

 

He then thought how maybe, just maybe, the fact that he couldn't bring himself to shoot Joshua, showing that regardless of how hurt he was back then, that he couldn't bring himself to shoot someone he thought was his friend, made Joshua see him as friend too. After all, Mr. H did say that Joshua has been alone too.

 

 

"So… then you arrived at the hospital, and the surgeons went and removed the bullet from your shoulder, and had to stitch your shoulder back together." Joshua stated

 

 

"S-Stitch my shoulder back together?!" Neku shrieked

 

 

"yeeees, Neku. They stitched it back together because your skin was completely torn by the gunshot. it also tore some of your shoulder's nerves and tissue so the bullet almost destroyed it." Joshua said slowly like he was talking to a little kid

 

 

Neku then hanged his head and began to squeeze his bed sheets horrified by the thought of seeing his shoulder like that. He was glad he never got to see it in that state.

 

 

"They also did some blood transfusions on you, since you were so weak when you arrived at the hospital. Your circulation and heart beat was so weak the doctors thought they were too late to save you at first." Joshua said smiling as he flicked his hair

 

 

Neku gripped his bed sheets even tighter clenching is teeth at how calmly Joshua described all of this, it was almost like he didn't care. Regardless of how hurt he felt, Neku desperately tried to calm down and took a deep breath.

 

 

 

"so then… what about Beat?" Neku said quietly trying to calm down

 

 

"He's fine, the crazy man never even noticed him Neku" Joshua told him

 

 

"Because I never wanted him too, my precious Proxy… he targeted you as part of my plan" Joshua thought with a smug little smile.

 

 

"well, I'll be on my way now. Try to get some rest my dear little Proxy, hee hee. We wouldn't want you to have to stay in the hospital even longer now would we?" Joshua said as he gave Neku that little laugh of his.

 

 

"yeah" Neku said looking down

 

 

"Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you something" Joshua said slyly "Enjoy your last few days and...Have fun Neku"

 

 

he said with a smile and with a snap of his fingers, the boy turned into a white mist and flew out the window.

 

 

"Enjoy your last few days?!" Neku thought with horror "what the hell does he mean by that?! He knows something I don't, damn it! Was he just trying to scare me? was he--"

 

 

"Neku! You're finally awake!" A voice cried happily as the person ran up to him.

 

 

"Shiki?!" Neku cried

 

 

She wrapped her arms around him hugging him. As her eyes began to water.

 

 

"I'm so glad you pulled through" she said sniffling.

 

 

"that's right" Neku remembered in his head "she's been here before… so she probably knows about me almost dying when I reached the hospital, needing those blood transfusions"

 

 

He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back saying. "Shiki… I'm so sorry"

 

 

"Huh?" she exclaims confused letting go of him "what are you apologizing for?"

 

 

"For scaring you" He says saddened, imagining what she must've gone through seeing him like that.

 

 

"it must've been awful… seeing me… the way I was and --"

 

 

"NEKU!" Shiki exclaimed, "You don't need to apologize! Stop acting like this is your fault, because it isn't." she said smiling

 

 

Which caused him to smile back. But then those last few words rang in Neku's head again "Enjoy your last few days…"

 

 

Shiki noticing how he suddenly became pale asks

 

 

"Neku, you okay?" she asks very concerned and slightly frightened "You look so pale! Do you feel weak? Do you need me to get the Doctor?!"

 

 

"No...no I'm fine" He reassures her. "It's just...I...I saw Joshua today… He filled me in on how I almost died, and… how he saved me"

 

 

"WHAT?!" she cries out "You saw him?! How did he save you, what did he do?!

 

 

Neku then hanged his head and squeezed his bedsheets

 

 

"He adjusted the angle of the gun, so when that guy fired, it would hit my shoulder instead of what he originally aimed at… my head."

 

 

He says grimly still in shock of how he would've died that day if it wasn't for Joshua

 

 

"Neku…" Shiki says quietly when suddenly another voice cried out

 

 

"Phooooooooones!" Beat says "Oh HELL YEAH! You're finally awake yo! I knew you'd be okay man, I jus' knew it!"

 

 

He then proceeded to give Neku one of his nuggies causing Neku to laugh.

 

 

"Beat!" his sister exclaimed "Be careful! Neku's still not completely better yet!"

 

 

"Oh sorry yo! I kinda forgot man" Beat says bashfully causing Rhyme to giggle.

 

 

 

At that moment another person ran into his room at the hospital

 

 

 

"Neku! I'm so glad you're okay! I was just outside the hospital on my way to visit you! It looks like I made pretty good timing" Eri said happily

 

 

Neku then smiled at her, knowing that since she doesn't know him as well as Shiki and the others do, that she didn't really have to come. He saw this as her wanting to be his friend too, something that made him happy.

 

 

"Thanks Eri, I'm glad you're here too" he said sincerely

 

 

 

Neku than tells his friends about the last thing Joshua told him, and how it made him nervous

 

 

"Enjoy your last few days?" Beat quoted Neku "don'tchu worry about that man, he's jus' messin' with ya. You remember how much prissy boy liked doin' that yo!"

 

 

"Yeah" Neku chuckled "thanks Beat"

 

 

"heh, don't mention it man. Now go get some rest, I wanna see ya outta here in the next few days, cause if you ain't, I'mma bustin' you outta here yo!" Beat exclaimed

 

 

Neku stares at him in shock. Since he's so lightweight, being 5'7 weighing only 97 pounds, and Beat is 127 pounds of pure muscle, he could actually see him pulling that off. Just the image of Beat randomly carrying Neku over his shoulder skateboarding out of the hospital in his mind made him chuckle.

 

 

"Don't worry, I don't think you're gonna have to break in the hospital Beat, I'll be out of here soon." Neku reassured him.

 

 

"Good, … 'cause I wasn't kidding yo!" Beat said as he glared at him

 

 

Neku stared at him in shock again

 

 

Which caused Shiki, Eri, and Rhyme to laugh.

 

 

The hours past, and his friends left his room letting Neku get some sleep. His parents visited him once his friends told them the good news.

 

 

Within three days after Neku first arrived in the hospital, he finally made a full recovery and was sent home. His right shoulder was still a bit sore, but the doctors said that would go away in time.

 

 

For a while, Neku's life seemed to return to normal, he went to Hachiko again, ate ramen with his friends, everything seemed perfect… until the fourth day arrived.


	9. Reaching Death

Neku's fourth day out of the hospital ended as a great day. He spent time with his friends and family, and got to know Eri a little better too.He felt so at peace that he had nearly forgotten what Joshua said that frightened him so badly.

 

 

 

He set up the alarm for his first day back at school since the incident, got into his pajamas, being baggy black pants and a somewhat lose dark blue t-shrt (making the same shape around his upper body like his normal shirt does, though a bit loose and got ready to go to sleep.

 

 

 

 

He made sure all of his stuff was in his book bag for the next day. As Neku finally started to drift off into sleep he heard Joshua's voice.

 

 

 

"Did you enjoy your last day?" He asked

 

 

 

At that moment Neku immediately opened his eyes and turned on the lights. But no one was there.

 

 

 

"it's just a dream" Neku thought.

 

 

 

He turns off the lights again and closes his eyes

 

 

 

"Nekuuuu" Joshua said again chuckling a little

 

 

 

This time he gasped in fear from the way his named was called and screamed in the dark

 

 

 

"Cut the crap Joshua!" But Neku didn't see anyone

 

 

 

Worried, but not wanting to think of it as anything but him hearing things, Neku turned off the lamp next to him and laid his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes. when he was about to go to a deep sleep again he heard Joshua

 

 

 

"What's wrong?" Joshua asked "Hee hee, did you not enjoy your last day?"

 

 

 

Neku then gasped and sat up on his bed and turned on the lights again almost like he's trying to reassure himself that Joshua wasn't in his room. He suddenly felt his heart racing and began to breathe more frantically as he cringed feeling panic

 

 

 

"Calm down, calm down!" He thought while squeezing his hair

 

 

 

"He's just messing with me!" Neku said out loud trying to reassure himself. "I'm not gonna die! I'm gonna wake up tomorrow! I'll see my friends again, I'll see Shiki Beat and Rhyme! I'll see them tomorrow!"

 

 

 

He told himself again. The moment he started to think about hanging out with them, Neku began to relax, and his breathing slowed down and turned off the lights again and laid in his bed for a few minuets.

 

 

 

His eyes adjusted to the dark and was able to stare at his ceiling in an attempt to focus on something. Luckily for him, Neku's parents are heavy sleepers so they never heard him yell anything he just said.

 

 

 

His cat Aya however, could sense something was wrong. She pushed open the door to Neku's bedroom with her paw and looked at him as she walked closer to him. She then jumps on his bed and starts to rub herself against Neku.

 

 

 

"Hey Aya" he chuckled as he scratched her behind her ears causing her to purr.

 

 

 

"So I guess you heard what was going on huh?" he asked as if his cat could answer him. In a way she did.

 

 

 

She looks at him and squints her sky blue eyes as she goes "EEEEOW" causing him to chuckle, he thought it was funny how she doesn't say "meow" or "nyan" like how most cats do.She then curled up into a ball next to him like she was saying "time to go to sleep Neku". He then laid his head down on his pillow and finally was able to go to sleep. As he did, a ball of light appeared in Neku's bedroom and became Joshua. He stood far away and lets out his little chuckle.

 

 

This then instantly startles Neku awake making him sit up since he wasn't in a deep sleep yet, and turn on the light in his room, making Joshua be seen for only a split second before disappearing. Trying to reassure himself that he's just tired, Neku then took a deep breath and thought about this other friends and calmed down, allowing himself to go to sleep

 

 

 

Hours passed, and it felt like he had slept along time. He was so at peace, so calm regardless of how he didn't dream anything. It felt like he was in a coma, like he was almost stuck sleeping. Everything faded away, sound, sight, nothing existed…

 

 

 

 

His alarm goes off at 6:30 AM but Neku doesn't react. His cat on the other hand was startled from the loud techno of Noisy Noise blaring out of his phone. It's because of this she then does what she always does when Neku doesn't hear his alarm.

 

 

 

Aya began to smack Neku's face with her white paws, but nothing happened. She meowed at him, no response. As time passed his mother noticed Neku still hadn't waken up yet. His dad goes to work early so he's usually gone by the time Neku has to wake up for school, so that's when his mom will take over and wake up their son if necessary.

 

 

 

It was 6: 52 AM Neku never sleeps in like this when it comes to school. (except for his first few days in the RG, when he hadn't readjusted to normalcy again)

 

 

 

"Neku" his mother said sweetly watching how peacefully he slept "wake up sleepy head. You're gonna be late. Even with the bycycle we got you for school, there's no way you'd make it there on time silly."

 

 

 

Neku doesn't respond.

 

 

 

She sighs seeing now how deeply he's sleeping. She approaches the bed causing Aya to leap off the bed to observe what his mom was about to do.

 

 

 

She than lifts off the covers from him and rubs her fingers down Neku's foot, tickling him until he wakes up. Something she use to do when he was little to wake him up, since then it had become a force of a habit.

 

 

 

And still nothing.

 

 

 

It's then she became concerned because that instantly startles him, Neku hates being tickled at his feet.

 

 

 

"Neku?" she says frightened as she approached him closer.

 

 

 

Neku was facing the right side of his bed. So she turned him towards her and pressed her fingers against Neku's wrist in an attempt to feel for a pulse.Just to be safe, incase she messed up, she then placed her fingers on Neku's neck to feel for a pulse

 

 

 

Her eyes widen "NOOO!" she cries "You just got back home Neku, you just got back…." She then wraps her hands around Neku hugging him tightly.

 

 

 

She then immediately calls her husband on the phone, screaming for him to come back home. He does in a matter of minutes and bursts into Neku's room, only to learn the awful truth.

 

 

"Neku! My little boy" *sniff* "I'm so sorry!" he cried as he laid his head by Neku's left arm.

 

 

 

Neku was dead…

 

 

To be continued…


	10. The Fledgling Soul

Neku opens his eyes to find himself in a mysterious, yet familiar place. Was he dreaming? he had no idea. All he could remember was falling into a deep sleep, and then... nothing.

 

 

 

His vision was blurry as he regained focus while laying on the ground, laying on his stomach. He then manages to push himself up and stand up.

 

 

 

"huh? no...this can't be right" Neku thought while clasping his right shoulder.

 

 

 

"The White Room?" he said softly

 

 

 

"but how? I...I can't be in the UG again...right?" he thought again.

 

 

 

he then looked down and noticed he was wearing his usual clothes

 

 

 

"what? No, wait a minute...I was in my pajamas before. How am I just...suddenly wearing my usual clothes"

 

 

 

He then stood there for a few seconds with his face hidden in his collar and then lifted up his head

 

 

 

"Guys?" Neku shouted

 

 

 

"Shiki! Beat! Joshua!"

 

 

 

no response

 

 

 

"Eri! Rhyme!"

 

 

 

still nothing. He then hid his face again with his hands in his pockets

 

 

 

"Joshua...he wouldn't trap me here...would he?" He thought worried.

 

 

 

he then saw a flash of light, causing him to squint, just like when he and Shiki were about to say their goodbyes as Shiki was about to supposedly beat the Reapers' Game

 

 

 

"Nngh! what?" he said confused

 

 

 

he then felt himself floating upward as he opened his eyes and saw white sparks around him, just like when Shiki was floating away from him. He then looked down and then looked up again

 

 

 

"Where am I going?" he thought as he floated up higher and higher

 

 

 

"Am I playing the Reapers' Game AGAIN?!" He thought terrified "What if I do?! What if I'm all alone without my partners and--

 

 

 

he then felt a jolt to his head causing him to wince in pain while squeezing his head.

 

 

 

"Nngh!" he groaned

 

 

 

Neku then opened his eyes and looked shocked to see he was in a bizarre world. He didn't know how to react. The bizarre otherworldly place was very colorful with weird little patterns like he was surrounded by mist and inside a spiral galaxy. Neku gasped staring at the weird world. Not entirely sure what's happening… he looked up, down, left, right, there was no difference. The misty world he saw surrounded him. Swirling in every direction.

 

 

 

 

"Where am I? Why am I here? HOW did I get here?" Neku thought crossing his arms

 

 

 

He then tried to shut out everything by burring his face in his funnel collar again.

 

 

 

"Okay think about this for a minute" the troubled teen thought.

 

 

 

"I went to sleep after all that weird crap with Joshua, woke up… ended up in the White room, and then ended up here?!"

 

 

 

"DAMN IT!" Neku roared, "Nothing makes sense!" he thought. Squeezing his hair in frustration, something he does when feeling overwhelmed.

 

 

 

"WAIT of course, that's it!" Neku thought as his face lit up from his realization. Letting go of his hair.

 

 

 

"am… am I dreaming?" he muttered to himself. "one way to know for sure"

 

 

 

He then pinches himself "Ow!" he shrieked

 

 

 

"So then…this is real?!" Neku cried in frustration

 

 

 

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Neku screamed with anger

 

 

 

He took a deep breath and sighed, "Alright" he muttered

 

 

 

"If I'm stuck here I'd might as well have a look around"

 

 

 

He didn't care that there wasn't any floor no actual surface, he was willing to try anything. It'd be better than standing there doing nothing.

 

 

 

Neku moves one of his legs as he attempts to walk but suddenly finds himself dipping forward like he was about to trip

 

 

 

"Whoa!" Neku yelled flailing his arms as he tried to get his balance back.

 

 

 

"Okay so… I can't walk?" Neku thought hiding his face again. finally standing still after regaining balance

 

 

 

Suddenly as soon as Neku looked up he saw a white light in the distance

 

 

 

"huh?" Neku said confused "A light?"

 

 

 

Suddenly the bright light took form, it became a small white ball of light, an orb, and flew straight towards Neku.

 

 

 

Neku gasped afraid it might be some kind of attack with nowhere to go, and shielded his face from it with his arms and closed his eyes, clenching his teeth expecting to feel pain… nothing happened.

 

 

 

He then opens his eyes and lowers his hands to see the orb right in front of him. The orb was roughly the size of a bowling ball when Neku saw it up close. When he held out his hands to it, it shrank to the size of a baseball floating in the air above Neku's hands.

 

 

 

"it's kinda pretty" he thought and for a moment he felt peaceful just looking at his little ball of light. But then when it made contact with Neku's skin it burned him.

 

 

 

"OW!" He cried and suddenly the ball grew larger and larger, causing Neku to scream in terror. It began to engulf him.

 

 

 

He screamed louder and louder as his fear grew hoping someone could hear him, that someone could save him.

 

 

 

"NOOOOOO!" Neku cried with fear screaming from what he was witnessing, seeing his skin began to peel off his hands like paper. Going further and further up his arms, revealing a dark blue energy being white in the center sort of version of them. The mere sight of it made his heart pound so loudly he could hear it.

 

 

 

"Make it stooooooop! Someone, anyone!" Neku cried desperately but he knew no one could hear him.

 

 

 

"Am I… am I facing erasure? No...that can't be it, I beat the Reapers' Game" He said quietly as all he could do was wait for all his skin to peal, accepting defeat, allowing his heart to slow down.

 

 

 

 

"Shiki… am I ever gonna see you again?" he wondered to himself

 

 

 

"Rhyme, I know you've got your energetic older brother to deal with...But please look out for her, look out for Shiki." Neku said weakly, as if she was there in front of him.

 

 

 

"Beat, I don't know what's going on...I don't know what's happening to me...I just...I wish it didn't have to be this way. I'm sorry" he said sadly

 

 

 

"and Eri" he says "I wish I could've been your friend too." As he says his goodbyes thinking that this light was incinerating him

 

 

 

Neku felt a huge lump in his throat, by this time nearly his entire body was the darkblue energy that was white in the middle, and he was almost entirely swallowed up by the orb.

 

 

 

It was to the point the could barely see any of the spiral patterns anymore. As he waited for the orb to completely engulf him he then closes his eyes waiting to be burned to ash from the orb and says

 

 

 

"I …I'm sorry guys"

 

 

 

He then felt the orb burn his entire body.

 

 

 

He opened his eyes to see that his entire body is transparent and he's falling...not down, but up. Something was pulling Neku as if he was a magnet being attracted to magnetic force. He suddenly had a crunching sensation in his stomach, like when gravity pulls someone down a rollercoaster as he ascends higher and higher. All he could see was that he was in the sky, but surrounded by clouds, no blue at all in the sky and they all curved to form a sort of tunnel and was going past clouds forming the tunnel faster and faster. Then suddenly the "gravity" began to pull Neku upward with so much force he was falling face first, but facing the sky.

 

 

 

"what's happening to me?" Neku thought. He then saw that he was headed to the white orb again.

 

 

 

"NO!" Neku screamed "Not again, NOOOO!"

 

 

 

 

he flew closer and closer to it until he closed his eyes again as he made contact with the orb again. But this time… it didn't burn him it felt like wind blowing.

 

 

 

 

He then suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back and collapsed. Unaware that he finally crossed over into the lowest level of the Higher Plane, "The Fledgling's flight" the district was called.

 

 

 

In this realm, it acts very similarly to the RG. Although the realm is separate, spirits here tend to have more human-like qualities. Such as feeling pain, and all other Human-like emotions, until they're able to adapt more and accept being a ghost. These newly born ghosts or Fledglings, as they're nicknamed, arrive here at the lowest level so they can adapt to their new lifestyle. In the case of some spirits, help them accept that they are dead. It can even sometimes look similar to certain areas on earth depending on what images make the Fledglings the most at ease.

 

 

 

 

Mr. H and Joshua, (while in one of the higher districts of the Higher Plane. The Composer Domain, where only Spirits who've achieved the status of Composer with their Guardian Angels can roam this level) Felt the presence of Neku's energy. The Composer smiled in his true form to his friend Mr. H and says

 

 

 

"he's here."

 

 

 

"Yup, I can definitely sense Phones" Mr. H says in his true form.

 

 

 

(A Guardian Angel at full blast has their body in a poofy cloud like form white outlined in gray, similar to Joshua's true form. With pale gray eyes, a nose, and mouth. Mr. H also stands at the same height of Joshua in his true form and his wings are 12 feet long)

 

 

 

"heh, you know Joshua I think you'd ought to stay in your human form, for now. Phones is already pretty tired from his journey and his Soul's exhausted. if he felt your presence now, the poor kid wouldn't be able to take it. You saw how just raising your vibe just a little bit higher in the RG hurt him, giving him that painful headache in the hospital. kinda defeats the purpose of bringing him here y'know?" Mr. H says in his typical laid back kind of tone

 

 

 

"After all, he is your Proxy." He added "It'd be kinda embarrassing to hear about a Composer accidentally Obstructing a Soul with such a strong imagination, the very reason you chose him after all. Heh heh, if you went up to him now the poor kid's a goner."

 

 

 

"True" The Composer said agreeing with him. "In addition to what you said, Fledgling Soul's tend to be so vulnerable, having their energy become so unstable, that they're especially in danger of facing Demons when they first arrive here."

 

 

 

"so" Joshua says as he snaps his fingers turning human "let's go help him out I suppose"

 

 

 

"Yeah" Mr. H says snapping his fingers turning into his human form as well.

 

 

 

Neku awakes within the Fledgling's Flight. As he lays on the ground regaining consciousness he notices he's in a empty white space, surrounded by glass pillars and a silver glass colored floor and has orbs of energy all around him. Having a little resemblance to the White Room. He manages to pick himself up from off the ground and thinks.

 

 

 

"what's going on? Am I in the White Room again? No it can't be that… Why would I go to that weird misty outer space dimension just to pop back to where I started? On top of that, I'm not in the Game anymore." Neku looks downs at his hands seeing that they're still transparent from when he touched the Orb from earlier.

 

 

 

"so then all of that really happened…" Neku saying out loud, as if he's trying to remind himself this isn't a dream.

 

 

 

He tried walking around the area but he felt he wasn't making any progress. All he could see was the pillars of glass around him, showing his reflection as he walked. He couldn't tell if he was going anywhere.

 

 

 

He then hides his face, filled with frustration

 

 

 

"I want to go back…" he mumbled quietly

 

 

 

He clenched his teeth in frustration and his fists began trembling as a result of all the confusion he was facing.

 

 

 

"I WANNA GO BAAAAAAAACK! GET ME OUT OF HEEEERE! I WANNA GO BACK TO MY FRIENDS, TO SHIBUYA!"

 

 

 

Neku wailed as loud as he could wishing someone could help him, that someone could hear him.

 

 

 

Unfortunately for Neku someone did hear him. The being sensed the energy spike in Neku as his soul destabilized a little from feeling overwhelmed, (however, his mind stayed intact. So it wasn't like in the Game where he started with both his mind and soul unstable.)

 

 

 

"Why hello there" the voice said.

 

 

 

Feeling on edge Neku screamed "show yourself!"

 

 

 

Sensing Neku's hostility the voice growled and had an almost demonic sound to it.

 

 

 

"What's wrong little Fledgling? That wasn't very nice." the voice hissed and did as Neku said.

 

 

 

He saw a boy who looked a little older than him, possibly 17 years old. He had short blueish black hair, grey skin, and his eyes were red and he had black cut marks all over his body, and his teeth resembled that of a shark. he wore a black short sleeved shirt with a folded collar and blusih gray pants. The rest of his body was covered in dark purple aura.

 

 

Although Neku never realized it, he was face to face with a Demon.

 

 

 

"Fledgling?" Neku said "What are you talking about?"

 

 

 

The demon smiled and walked up to Neku, causing him to scream from his head pounding just like when he saw Joshua's true form.

 

 

 

"Fledgling, a newborn spirit. That's what you are now" he replied

 

 

 

 

 

"Nngh! …A Spirit? But…I can't…be dead right?" Neku asks as he fell to his knees squeezing his hair.

 

 

 

 

"Oh but you are, this here is the Higher Plane. The home to one of the most powerful forms of energy in all of the afterlife, The Composer."

 

 

 

With that remark Neku blurted out

 

 

 

"Joshua?! …Ngh!… He's really that strong?!"

 

 

 

"Why yes and… Joshua? So you know him? Hmm, I find this interesting." the demon responded.

 

 

 

Neku suddenly felt an intense pain in his stomach and screamed in agony. Squinting from the pain he manages to open one eye and sees the demon inches from his face, and sees that he had all his fingers together, closing the gap between them, and extended his claws, stabbing Neku's stomach. He wanted to break free, but he felt so weak all he could do was hold onto the demon's hand.

 

Neku was terrified flinching at the sight of him.

 

 

 

"Now where are my manners?" the Demon says smiling at Neku's pain

 

 

 

"my name is Cedric, but my true name is… well, that's not important now. Especially since your energy's so unstable now."

 

 

 

"wha...What?" Neku says faintly he opens his eyes, looking to his left and right to see white energy outlined in dark blue.

 

 

 

"this is your delicious energy …Neku" Cedric says.

 

 

 

Hearing his name then made him instantly look back at the demon, making Neku stare in shock at how he knew his name.

 

 

 

 

"Ugh!" Cedric groaned "Do you really need me to explain _that_ to you? Oh fine. When a Spirit's energy is destabilized to the point it's visible, like yours, we instantly know everything about a person when they were alive, to the point we know information as simple that person's name."

 

 

 

Neku suddenly felt dizzy like he was about to pass out. Cedric then removes his hand that's stabbing Neku, and converts that hand into a stream of black lightening. He then reaches for Neku's funnel collar and tears through the fabric with his lightening exposing Neku's neck and began to choke him. sending his Demonic lightning into Neku making his energy start to break into little specks. Neku screamed at the top of his lungs in pain to the point of crying.

 

 

 

Then suddenly a ray of energy blasted against Cedric causing him to scream in pain and dissolve into black specs. Cedric had been killed.

 

 

 

Neku then opens his eyes to see who saved him,

 

 

 

"Josh….ua" he whispered before collapsing. The last thing he saw was white spheres outlined in blue flying away from him.


	11. Secrets

Being unconscious barely surviving what the Demon did to him, all Neku could hear was voices speaking very faintly…

 

 

 

"Mr. H keep going, it's working. His energy's becoming stable"

 

 

 

"yeah, sure thing Boss." the Angel replied

 

 

 

 

It was Joshua and Mr. H, they searched for Neku like crazy, frantically searching the levels of the higher plane trying to track Neku's energy, the demon Cedric had over powered him to the point they couldn't detect Neku at all.

 

 

 

So they searched other realms incase the demon took him to an other level, to make the Soul Obstruction process speed up. Mr. H, being an experienced Angel, has the ability to repair souls at the brink of fading away like Neku, but it comes at a cost.

 

 

 

 

It requires a lot of concentration and energy from the Angels to pull off something so difficult. Especially with a Soul as broken as Neku's current state.

 

 

 

 

Mr. H presses his hand against Neku's chest with more force causing white energy to appear, it has the effect to draw in scattering energy and as a result, caused Neku's energy to swirl back into his spirit form. When every last spec of energy was within his soul again, Neku finally had the strength to open his eyes, and with that Mr. H stopped allowing himself to relax.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He looks up to see Joshua's human form, but when he looked at Mr. H he saw him at full blast, seeing a white cloudy like figure outlined in gray with light gray eyes and no mouth...but then reveled one, smiling.

 

 

 

Unlike Composers, when A spirit is within the presence of an Angel, they feel at peace, relaxed. Although unaware of this fact, this is mainly why Neku was able to talk to Mr. H so easily in the Reapers' Game, he felt drawn to Mr. H. Even in his human form. Finding some strength, he manages to make himself sit up to get a better look at the Angel, now with alert eyes again.

 

 

 

 

 

"Nnngh!...Mr. H?" Neku says weakly.

 

 

 

"Hey there Phones! How'd you know it was me?"

 

 

 

 

 

"well… I figured since you're always with Joshua that…that's who…or should I say, _what_ I was looking at" Neku replies.

 

 

 

 

He helps Neku get to his feet by picking him up by the waist and flaps his wings before gently setting him to the ground.

 

 

 

 

"feel any better?" Mr. H asks returning to his human form

 

 

 

 

"yeah" Neku responds, "just a little weak"

 

 

 

 

"hmmm, well I know how to fix that" Mr. H responds

 

 

 

 

Joshua watches Mr. H and Neku waiting to see what he's going to teach him and more importantly, if Neku can actually use his imagination to accomplish the task. He watches with a slightly intrigued look, placing his hand on his chin like when he'd get curious analyzing missions.

 

 

 

 

"really, how?" Neku asked weakly, still feeling heavy as a side effect from nearly facing Soul Obstruction

 

 

 

 

"well let's just say healing, is something we Angels are pretty good at." Mr. H responds with a smile.

 

 

 

 

"remember how you use to use the Player Pin?" He asked "how you had to focus your thoughts and energy on the pin to read minds?"

 

 

 

"yeah" Neku says

 

 

 

 

"Well do the same thing but think about feeling better, about how you don't want to feel weak or broken." Mr. H instructed

 

 

 

 

"Alright… I'll try" Neku says not sure if he can do that again, after all it'd been a while since he had to use his mind like that

 

 

 

 

Being aware of this fact Joshua begins to wonder if Neku can tap into his imagination without the help of pins.

 

 

 

 

Neku takes a deep breath, and releases it. He then placed his hands on his head and closed his eyes

 

 

 

"Open up, your senses" he says quietly.

 

 

 

 

Neku then thinks in his head "I don't want to feel weak anymore, I don't want to feel sick"

 

 

 

 

He then opens his eyes startled, he was in shock.

 

 

 

 

Mr. H looked at Joshua and smiled, he had succeeded in taping into his mind as a spirit, a basic lesson necessary for combat. Strangely enough, though, the concept wasn't too foreign to Neku. Even though it had been three months and a half since he's ever done that, It happened very easily almost like he still remembered how to do it deep down

 

 

 

"it…IT WORKED!" Neku exclaimed shocked, yet relieved that he felt better.

 

 

 

"ha, ha there you go Phones!" Mr. H exclaims

 

 

 

"yes very impressive my _precious_ Proxy" Joshua says slyly

 

 

 

Neku's face darkened

 

 

 

"I _hate it_ when you call me that" he growled, "I'm not your toy, not a Proxy, I'm a person!" 

 

 

 

"Yes, yes you are. But you are MY Proxy Neku. I chose you to be my Proxy because of who you are. That's why that Demon tried to kill you" Joshua responded

 

 

 

"Who I am? and...D-Demons, Angels, they're real?! You're saying that guy was a demon?!" Neku exclaimed

 

 

 

 

"that's right. After all, the form of energy you just saw that looked like Mr. H, is what he really is, an Angel." Joshua said chuckling "There are many things beyond your understanding"

 

 

 

 

"Wait a minute, back up Joshua! That guy, that Demon told me you're one of the most powerful forms of energy in the Higher Plane…If that's true then why am I here? Why'd you drag me back to your world?!" Neku said frustrated

 

 

 

"WAS TAKING MY LIFE ONCE NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?!" he roared shaking his fist

 

 

 

 

"But Neku, I never said I brought you here" he said with that devious smile of his. " _You_ made that assumption"

 

 

 

 

"Rrrgh! Cut the crap! I KNOW it was you! Who else would've killed me and brought me here, huh?!" Neku screamed enraged by Joshua

 

 

 

"and just what the hell _is_ a Proxy anyway?! I know that it meant that I fought in your place in the Game…to kill the Conductor, the one guy in the way of your plan back then, but STILL! He said that I was in the afterlife! What the HELL is going on here?!" Neku yelled as he demanded an answer

 

 

 

Mr. H thought it was best to give them some space and went back to the Composer Domain

 

 

 

 

Joshua rolls his eyes and smiles at Neku getting angry.

 

 

 

"Alright, I guess it's time for you to know Neku…" Joshua says back to him

 

 

 

He explains to Neku that he's in a lot of trouble for how he ran the Reapers' Game. That it wasn't supposed to go past the first week, and in addition to this, the Reapers' Game isn't supposed to decide the fate of a City, have the Composer as a player in the game, AND how it's not supposed to be a bad thing. In addition to what they discussed in the RG, how it made the players better, it was for another purpose too.

 

 

 

The Game is supposed to make the Player appreciate what was taken as entry fee, not make them suffer because of it. And that The Higher Ups (aka the Maestroes, made up of powerful Angels just slightly stronger than Mr. H) limited the interactions he could have with the RG as punishment for his reckless behavior.

 

 

as result, he can only kill to bring people into the Higher Plane. He his forbidden to spend long periods of time in the RG, forbidden from going to the UG, and his Reapers' Game has been canceled for as long as the Higher Ups want it to be. He was only able to run another New 7 Days before his Reapers' Game was shut down.

 

 

 

Neku stared at him fists trembling with rage seeing how all this time, what he and his friends felt was right, that they had suffered because of Joshua's actions and how it wasn't just them feeling hurt and upset with him.

 

 

 

"A Proxy Neku, is another word for a pawn, someone to be used. As such, in your case, a Proxy is a person chosen to fight for the Composer. What you did to kill the Conductor proves I made the right choice" Joshua said darkly

 

 

Hearing such a thing then made Neku's eyes burn at the thought of being nothing more than a puppet to who he thought was his friend

 

 

 

Joshua then continues

 

 

 

"Combining your mind and soul with all your friends and with _mine,_ a soul that has ascended to Composer, A mere little human soul able to do that while within the flesh, is nearly impossible. Yet you did just that. Now yes granted, when I'm like this, my powers are cut back a lot, and even powered down, in the UG, my Vibe Frequency is still higher than yours. which is why you would get so uneasy around me, and why there were so many times you felt like giving up in the second week. I was making your soul unstable" Joshua explains

 

 

 

"What?!" Neku shouted

 

 

 

"So... all that time, every time I felt uneasy, and wanted to give up, that was cause of your...vibe frequency, some...higher level of energy or something? that you were destabilizing my soul?" he said frusterated

 

 

 

 

"Yes" Joshua replied "That also shows how strong your mind is Neku. You felt like giving up, but you pushed through anyway."

 

 

 

"You, and other people like you is why you were attacked. You have a very high level of imagination Neku, some people are just more creative than others and that in turn, empowered your soul." he says with that creepy laugh of his.

 

 

 

 

Neku squeezed his hair out of frustration, he couldn't believe what Joshua was telling him. That all he went through was because of Joshua messing with the game.

 

 

 

"why?!" Neku said cried out

 

 

 

"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that" Joshua says smiling

 

 

 

"WHY DID YOU DO ALL OF THIS?! DO YOU REALLY HATE ME TO THIS POINT?! THAT ALL YOU LIKE TO DO IS MESS WITH ME?!" Neku screamed shaking his fist.

 

 

 

Joshua sighed "No Neku, although it is fun to mess with you… I do have my reasons… have you forgotten what Mr. H taught you back then?"

 

 

 

 

It's at that moment Neku's eyes widened as he was snapped out of his rage remembering some of the advice he gave him in the game.

 

 

 

"That's right!" I remember now!" Neku thought

 

 

 

He took a deep breath and sighed

 

 

 

"Trust your partner… and I do… I can't forgive you… but I trust you…" Neku responds holding onto his right shoulder, feeling vulnerable.

 

 

 

Joshua smirked at Neku surprised how Mr. H has such an effect on him, even after all this time.

 

 

 

"Good. Now then, you need to know why you're here Neku." Joshua responds

 

 

 

He explains how Demons and Angels (along with Composers at their sides, the ones who choose to ascend to the Higher Plane and some who are there naturally) have waged war upon each other for many millennia.

 

 

For a long amount of time, there was peace in the Higher Plane. The Angels and Demons made a treaty to end their wars or risk destroying each other. The Demons then created their own realm where they could live in peace away from the Higher Plane. As Centuries passed, the Demons then created a ranking system with the most powerful of all, being their ruler, the Demon Lord or Mistress, with only the top three Ranks getting that title. 

 

 

 

 

However, the demons are seeking power and want to destroy the entire higher plane and rebuild it for themselves to expand the Demon realm. They feed off of powerful souls as a result from their obsession with power, and unquenchable thirst to kill Fledglings for sport.

 

 

 

Neku was in shock hearing all of this…

 

 

 

 

"so… that demon, he came after me, for my energy?" Neku exclaimed trying to take everything in.

 

 

 

 

 

"yes. your soul, what you are now, is very strong Neku, thanks to your imagination. which is why in addition to being a newborn spirit, or Fledgling, as they're nicknamed, so many demons want to kill you for your power." Joshua warned him

 

 

 

 

Neku suddenly felt chills down his spine terrified of the thought, especially since he was so close to being killed by one.

 

 

 

 

"But if it's so risky for me to be here then why… why am I in the Higher Plane?" Neku asked still frightened knowing that so many demons want to kill him.

 

 

 

 

"We needed to make you stronger Neku…The Higher Ups wanted to see if your Imagination could be pushed even further, to see if you, and other high leveled minds, could help end their plan to expand the Demon Realm. They were very impressed by the power of your mind and soul towards the end of my game. So they wanted me to test you… see if even after all this time, you could still defend yourself. Well...that, and I liked doing it. hee hee." Joshua explained with his hands in his back pockets

 

 

 

Joshua then began to have that smug, creepy grin on his face.

 

 

 

"Joshua?" Neku asked wondering where that look came from.

 

 

 

He then gave Neku that scary laugh of his, the one that Neku hated, and caused him to feel more uneasy around his mysterious friend

 

 

 

"I gave you two tests to complete, and I'm happy to announce you passed them with flying colors" he said

 

 

 

"He knows something I don't… what's he hiding?" Neku thought concerned while crossing his arms, thinking about that smile Joshua wore, it was almost ear to ear, like an evil smile.

 

 

 

"The first test was to test your strength, I noticed a certain boy at your school who was very strong physically, so I merely gave him my Composer touch and increased his strength just a tiny bit."

 

 

 

Neku's eyes widened as he instantly knew what he was talking about. Getting a gut wrenching feeling in his stomach.

 

 

 

"no…" he thought "Joshua…You didn't really…you didn't do it"

 

 

 

"Oh what was his name? Joshua said ignoring Neku's enraged reaction "Hmmmmm, um Yamato?"

 

 

 

Neku was consumed by hate… his hands balled up into fists, gripping them so tightly his knuckles turned white.

 

 

 

"Oh and the second test was the speed test. To see how fast you could react, as well as how fast you could move Neku. I wish you had done better in that one though…that's the one where I had to interfere..well that, and I _did_ fill the bullets with Composer Energy, though only a bit" Joshua continued

 

 

 

At this point Neku couldn't stand to hear anymore, he hid his face in his funnel collar with his hands in his pockets

 

 

 

"it was you…" He spoke in a soft yet menacing tone

 

 

 

he then raised his head and screamed Joshua shaking his fist at him again

 

 

"you… YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DID ALL OF THAT TO ME!"

 

 

 

Neku roared hurt from all the things he had taken in. he then hanged his head, making his eyes hidden beneath his bangs, hid his mouth in his collar and hands in his pockets

 

 

 

"I...was, I was finally alive again. I was for three months, almost four...if you had just let me live! But now...it's been cut short again. I was half-way through the next month, and thanks to your Game, those months felt like YEARS! I was so close to living normal life again...with my...new friends. But you took it all away." Neku said hurt

 

 

 

he then raised his head gritting his teeth and shook his fist at Joshua

 

 

 

"SO ALL of this… ALL OF IT! WAS PART OF YOUR PLAN?!?" IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?! WHAT YOU PLANNED THE WHOLE TIME?!"

 

 

 

Joshua looked at Neku confused

 

 

 

"Oh DON'T give me that crap Joshua! You KNOW what I'm talking about! You went to the RG, killed me to fight in your place, extended the Game to make me stronger so I could do your bidding, and brought me back to life JUST SO YOU COULD KILL ME AGAIN?!! YOU TOOK AWAY MY LIFE AFTER THE GAME!"

 

 

The enraged boy then yelled some more

 

 

 

"YOU FILLED THE BULLET THAT GUY SHOT AT MY SHOULDER WITH COMPOSER ENERGY, WHICH IS WHY IT NEARLY BLEW UP IN ADDITION TO HOW BULLETS ALREADY DO THAT! IT WAS ALL YOU! AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU STILL EXPECT ME TO HELP YOU?! SCREW THAT! THAT DEMON TOLD ME YOU'RE ONE OF THE STRONGEST FORMS OF ENERGY IN ALL OF THE AFTERLIFE! ….SO IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN YOU SHOULDN'T NEED MY HELP!" Neku finally concluded panting out of breath from yelling so much.

 

 

 

Joshua simply shook his head "Oh Neku, must you be so dramatic… but fine I can see how angry you are I'll back off now…" he said with a smile.

 

 

 

And with a snap of his fingers Joshua teleported himself to the Composer Domain, leaving Neku all alone.

 

 

 

Mr. H watched the whole thing from that realm and says "You know Boss, ya really gotta work on how you talk to that guy"

 

 

 

"Oh come on, Mr. H he's a new spirit, a Fledgling, those intense emotions of his can't be helped. He'll be fine. He just needs some space." Joshua replies reassuringly

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Neku remains in the Fledgling realm panting from his rage still coursing through him. He then couldn't help but squeeze his hair frustrated

 

 

 

"Rrrgh! I gotta get outta here! I don't care what the hell's going on! Joshua can handle it! I know he can! He's the Composer of Shibuya! I don't belong here!" Neku thought while squeezing his hair

 

 

 

 

Determined to leave, and be with his friends and have his new life back, seeing this as nothing more than just a cruel prank from Joshua, Neku tried to run as fast as he could around the empty white space with nothing but a blank white path being a floor for him to guide him.

 

 

He runs straight ahead and takes a left, only to see the same space, he then kept going only for there to be no change. Neku then decides to take a right...only for the result to be the same causing him to just stand there realzing he's trapped

 

 

 

"Crap" he thought " I… I don't want to feel this hurt."

 

 

 

Neku then remembered what Mr. H taught him.

 

 

 

His breathing was very choppy from his anger, he tried to take deep breaths to calm down but it didn't work.

 

 

 

"Damn it" he thought again "how can I use that technique if I can't calm down?… what would she say to me? What would she do that makes me feel better? Think… she'd place her hand on mine, and squeeze it…like a stress ball or something...telling me to let it go, that I'll be okay." Neku reminds himself.

 

 

 

Mr. H and Joshua notice how simply thinking about her made Neku relax.

 

 

 

He then is finally able to use the technique Mr. H taught him. Filled with sadness over the thought of losing his friends, the frustrated teen couldn't help but place his hands in his pockets, hide his mouth in his collar and hide his eyes beneath his fiery orange bangs

 

 

 

"I wanna go home" he thinks. "I…I miss Shibuya, I miss my friends, the world I once had. I…I just wish I had it all back."

 

 

 

Suddenly as Neku thinks this, buildings begin to form out of thin air in the empty white space of Fledgling's Flight. The blank white floor that blended with the emptiness of the world, suddenly became made of glass with a light grey tint to it.

 

 

 

The buildings looked also less man made then the RG version of the buildings. They were made of glass and crystals…and a sun, sky and clouds began to form in the top of the Fledgling district.

 

 

 

Neku opens his eyes in shock. Completely amazed by what he's seeing…

 

 

 

He completely recreated Shibuya by his imagination…everything, right down to the smallest details were there. Even the famous landmarks of the city. Hachiko, the Moyai statute, even the iconic 104 building all recreated as glass and crystal-like structures.

 

 

 

He then took a walk in the city as a sort of way of admiring his creation. He thought it was amazing that this made from his head… except for one thing…

 

 

 

 

His heart began to ache at this realization. Neku closed his eyes hiding his face and thought, "it's not the same…"

 

 

 

The song that plays in his head when he's sad began to start. But suddenly he looked up in shock, he could actually hear it, it was as if it was a live performance of the song. He heard a soft piano intro play …A Lullaby For You

 

 

 

He closed his eyes and began to walk again, just letting the music take him wherever it led. The strong and powerful lyrics began to hit him, but there was one part of the song that hit him the most:

 

 

_"sweet dreams I do not see, cause darkness scares me._

_Is it cause I'm still fifteen? Or the loneliness in me?_

_I wish I may I wish I might, sleep soundly through those windy nights. Just… to dream… of…you tonight._

_A lullaby for you, stars will always gracefully watch over 'till it's bright._

_May tomorrow be wonderful too,_

_take my hand and promise me,_

_that we'll be alright._

_Finding a place to feel at home, you are not.. alone._

_Maybe I'll turn back and stay, where I came from only yesterday_

_Whisper then "the past is gone eternally"_

_A lullaby for you don't you worry baby, I'll be here by you side may tomorrow be wonderful too._

_Close to you I hope to stay, endlessly from today._

_Even through cloudy days you are not, alone_

_You are not alone"_

 

As the piano outrto plays, he finds that whether it was a coincidence, or he did it subconsciously, the song had ended with it leading him to Hachiko. Neku smiled a little associating the song with his new friends

 

 

 

"sometimes, being here, without you guys...makes me feel like I really am gonna go back to who I was" he thought

 

 

 

"But… I'm not alone" he says aloud placing his hand on his chest.

 

 

 

"Hang in there guys. I'll be back before you know it, even if I have to face this alone… I'll come back"

 

 

 

 

The piano outro finally fades into the air as Neku watches the sunset on his Higher Plane Shibuya.

 

 

 

 

Mr. H and Joshua witness this all from the Composer District.

 

 

 

 

"Heh well would ya look at Phones?" Mr. H exclaims "he's really something else isn't he? You saw how just thinking of his friends made him so strong?"

 

 

 

 

"Why yes I did" Joshua replies "Especially when thinking about Shiki"

 

 

 

"Yeah, I noticed that too. I bet that has to do with her being Neku's first Partner, the sort of first impression on his soul. You know, as I healed Phones, I detected Demonic energy flowing through him" Mr. H announced

 

 

 

 

"it's small but this could become a problem… however, when Phones thinks about Shiki and his friends, the energy neutralizes itself instead of trying to take over him." Mr. H said with a smile

 

 

 

 

"you know what this means right?" he adds

 

 

 

 

Joshua says with a chuckle and that devious smile

 

 

 

 

"Of course I do… of we're going to win this war… Shiki will need to die"


	12. Soul Obstruction

Neku awakens as the sun rises in his afterlife Shibuya. Strangely, he somehow didn't mind sleeping on the ground again like in the Reapers' Game.

 

 Neku begins to yawn and mumbles in a drowsy tone of voice "five more minutes… then I'll get up for school" he yawns again and then turns to the left as he slept peacefully on the ground. A few seconds passed and he opens his eyes thinking.

 

 

"huh? What am I doing? I don't need sleep anymore" Neku then chuckles and says "I'm dead…"

 

 

 

 

Neku than sits up and hangs his head and feels sad again thinking about what that really means and how that could effect his friends

 

 

 

 

"which means she's in the RG… all of them are. Living in a world where… I can't be with them. How long have I been dead? A few days, weeks, months, YEARS?! Do my parents know I'm dead?…and my cat, who'll take care of her now that I'm dead? I've had her since she was a kitten… what are they're lives like without me?"

 

 

 

the saddened boy then stood up, hiding his face in his collar and hands in his pockets. Neku then stood in silence, realizing how alone he really was, and noticed something different about himself

 

 

"Is this...what it means to be a ghost? I feel....so hollow...empty. Sort of like...when someone hasn't eaten food for a ton of hours. I'm not even really here. I don't have a pulse, no flesh and bones. I'm just a weird mist...or vapor with the ability to think" he thought filled with sadness

 

 

Neku then held onto his right hand's wrist with his left hand

 

 

"Even my senses are dull. I'm holding onto my wrist...but the feeling I'm getting is...like if I'm just being poked instead. I...I'm really dead now. Even in the UG I still had some traits that made me feel alive" Neku thought feeling guilty

 

  

 

"Damn it! I...I just want them to know I'm okay, that I'll see them again…I just want to see them, I want to know if they're alright" Neku thought sadly

 

 

 

 

 He then looked up doing his usual shocked stance

 

 

"Wait a minute!" Neku yelled "that's it! If I just think about what I want, it'll become real."

 

 

 

 

Neku than takes a deep breath, and places his hands on his head again preparing to activate the technique.

 

 

 

"Focus" he tells himself. "I want to see my friends in the RG. I wanna see Shibuya." he says aloud.

 

 

 

 

Neku opens his eyes gasping in shock, part of the floor began to disappear and reveal the RG. He then looks at this sort of window into the RG he created to see his friends…standing in Miyashita park

 

 

 

 

although Neku feels like he's been dead for what feels like years, it had only been three days since his death.

 

 

 

 

"Hey Shiki" a voice says in a hurtful tone "How you holdin' up yo?"

 

 

 

 

She hangs her head in silence "I'm fine" she says coldly

 

 

 

Neku's heart begins to sink seeing her so hurt.

 

 

 

"Neku's gone…there's nothing we can do so…why grieve over him?" she says in a dry almost lifeless tone.

 

 

 

"Shiki" Neku said sadly "please don't do this. Don't get this sad over me"

 

 

 

 

"I still have Eri…and she's trying to help me feel better by shopping with me at 104, and hanging out with me at my house like you and Rhyme do, but nothing's the same. I can't go living life like I never knew him, like it's just Eri and me again" she says in a harsh tone

 

 

 

 

"No!" Neku cried out "Shiki! Shiki don't do this to yourself! Don't give up on yourself, just cause I'm not there! Be happy…You need to live out your own life!"

 

 

 

 

"Bwaaahahaaaah!" Beat yelled "Shiki… I feel ya man, I really do. None of us can pretend we didn't know Neku… But… I don' think Phones would like dis yo!"

 

 

 

 

"Like what? That I've stopped going to Hachiko, that I've thrown Mr. Mew away in the trash can in my room, that I was going to burn it today…that as much as Eri tried to encourage me not to, that I stopped sewing" Shiki blankly responds

 

 

 

 

"No!" Neku whimpers in the HP Shibuya "Shiki don't! You gotta stop this! Don't let your world break apart!"

 

 

 

 

"WHAT?!" another voice exclaims

 

 

 

"Shiki how could you?!" Rhyme yells

 

 

 

"R-Rhyme?!" shiki exclaims shocked. she never heard her yell at anyone before.

 

 

 

"You think you're the only one who's hurt?! I barely even know Neku compared to you, Beat and Joshua. You all were his partners, defending him, getting to know him and reaching out to him. I never got to do that! I mean yeah, I've gotten to know him now since we all first entered the RG, but still! You're acting like none of that mattered!"

 

 

 

 

Rhyme burst into tears

 

 

 

 

Her loving brother hugged her as Rhyme squeezed his shirt. Shiki than joined in the mourning,

 

 

 

 

"Even with you guys, even with Eri by my side, nothing's the same…" she said darkly

 

 

 

 

"ENJOY EVERY MOMENT WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT!" A voice yelled

 

 

 

"HUH?!" Shiki yelled in shock "Did you two hear that?"

 

 

 

 

"Hear what yo?!" Beat exclaimed surprised

 

 

 

"Yeah what was it Shiki?" Rhyme said worriedly

 

 

 

 

"I…I just...I thought I heard Neku" she said

 

 

 

Rhyme began to look down and wiped her tears.

 

 

 

 

"Shiki, you need rest. There's no way he could've said anything" she says mournfully

 

 

 

 

"But what about the Game?!" Shiki roared refusing to deny what she heard

 

 

 

 

"We were able to communicate to people in the RG, and even affect Shibuya's trends in the RG from the UG! So then, maybe Neku figured out a way to do something like that!" she insisted.

 

Shiki then hanged her head again

 

 

"This is just like the last time he had to play the Reapers' Game again...remember Beat?" she said filled with heartache

 

 

"Remember? how can I forget yo! We was there man, all of us! We were hangin' out at the Hachiko statue, we saw you for the first time yo! We high fived each other, 'n everything was all okay again. But...then...not even that long after that, me 'n Phones ended up in that fake Shibuya thanks to that Pixie chick Reaper 'n when we finally got back to the RG, safe again...Phones...Neku...he was shot right in front of me!" Beat cried as tears fell down his face

 

Beat then flashed back to what happened after that, how after he saw Neku disappear into the UG

 

_After he sees Neku disappear, he looks to his left to see Joshua with a gun in his hand and then right before Beat could even say a word, Joshua disappeared_

 

_"no...Prissy boy...he was tryin' to protect Neku...but now he's...Rrrgh! Damn it!" Beat cried out as tears fell_

 

_he then wiped his tears away and ran to Miyashita Park where he saw Rhyme and then they both saw Shiki walking towards them. She was happy at first but then noticed how sad Beat looked_

 

_"Beat what's wrong?" Shiki said curiously with her left hand behind her and right hand by her face_

 

_"Yeah you looked kind of shocked when I first saw you"  Rhyme added_

 

_"Is it something to do with Neku? he was going to meet up with me so we could go shopping to fix Mr. Mew" Shiki added_

 

_Beat then felt his eyes water again_

 

_"Rrrgh! But that's just it yo!" he roared as tears fell down his face_

 

_Beat then hanged his head while clenching onto his left shoulder_

 

_"Shiki...I...I'm sorry. Neku ain't here because...he's gone. I saw Neku get shot!"_

 

_Rhyme and Shiki looked at him in shock_

 

_"What?" Shiki muttered_

 

  _"No! that can't be true! We were with Neku not even that long ago at the Hachiko statue!" Rhyme said sadly_

 

_:"I know but, that's why me 'n Phones were gone to begin with yo! Some Reaper that looked almost like a fairy, all girly 'n alla dat, she was tryin' to send me and Phones to the UG. ...and she got Neku"_

 

_Shiki then burst to tears realizing Neku really was gone and would have to play again but now without his friends_

 

 

 

His flashback then ended and he sees Rhyme began to cry again and resumed hugging Beat

 

 

 

"Shiki. I'm so sorry!" Beat said his voice trembling

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head as tears fell from her face but then stopped the moment she heard his voice

 

 

 

"Shiki…" Neku said softly "You heard me, I know you did… if you can hear me now then… Don't stop sewing, don't throw your piggy away… be with your friends… please Shiki, please… do that for me."

 

 

 

Shiki actually heard Neku as he said that and sighed knowing that no one else could but, she nodded her head understanding him.

 

 

 

 

"Enjoy every moment with all you've got" Shiki says.

 

 

 

 

"I'll live up to CAT's motto… for Neku." she says smiling

 

 

 

 

"heh, yeah Phones… he always really liked CAT yo, I can see why. It's a good thing to live up to yo." Beat says in agreement.

 

 

 

 

Rhyme giggles in agreement saying "For Neku…"

 

 

 

 

Neku sighs feeling relieved he made them feel better but as he looked at his friends, suddenly the RG disappears making Neku gasp.

 

 

 

"What?! NOOOOO!" Neku roars "COME BACK! I wanna see them, COME BACK!" he then looks behind him to see who caused his window to disappear.

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H?" Neku says confused

 

 

 

 

"Hey kiddo, you really need to not do that. Don't abuse the ability I taught you." he says in a scolding kind of tone.

 

 

 

 

"What you did just now is very risky" Mr. H warns "You know how many Spirits, _especially_ Fledglings, go crazy doing the exact same thing that you just did?"

 

 

 

 

Neku was in shock "Wh-what do you mean?" is all he could bring himself to say.

 

 

 

"c'mon I'll take you to my favorite spot in Shibuya, you can see the whole city from its view" Mr. H says

 

 

 

They sit on top of the 104 building where Mr. H explains why there are so many rules against Spirits interacting with Humans.

 

 

 

"I know you had good intentions Phones, you miss your friends, the life you once had. Leaving all of that behind ain't easy, especially when you die at such a young age" Mr. H begins to explain

 

 

 

 

"But what you just did is very dangerous and I need you to take this seriously, cause if you don't…you could end up like so many spirits who waste their afterlife doing what you just did." he warns Neku with a very dark, serious look on his face.

 

 

 

 

"since there's no ending in the Higher Plane, time doesn't exist. There is no day or night, with the exception of merely making it look that way, like with the HP Shibuya, and no months or years. Just Eternity." The Angel explains

 

 

 

"It's because of this, when Spirits start to seek out the RG, and actually try to look at their past life from missing it soooo much, just like what you did, they then make this a routine, a habit you see. Until all they do is just stare at that their old life, doing nothing but craving to have that again for all Eternity doing the same thing over and over again. This has severe effects on one's mind to the point it destabilizes their mind and energy to the point it's beyond repair." Mr. H said as a warning

 

 

 

 

"Do you know what happens to spirits that waste their eternity doing the exact same thing you just did? Repeating that one habit for all eternity?" He asks woefully

 

 

 

 

Neku then hid his face in his collar and hands in his pockets overwhelmed with anxiety, being unsure to answer

 

 

 

"They become Demons Phones" Mr. H reveals to him making Neku look at him wide eyed

 

 

 

 

"In fact, a vast majority of Demons are just Spirits broken beyond repair. Hurt and forever trapped in their sadness. So… to rid themselves of it, they seek power. Hoping that by becoming a powerful being, it would rid them of the memories and pain of the life they will never have again. This is why as they grow in power, they start to forget their old life.That's why l wouldn't recommend doing this again until your mind is much stronger." Mr. H added

 

 

 

 

"No…" Neku say quietly "That's why…that's why that demon attacked me then… 'cause he was suffering? And wanted to rid himself of his sadness by taking my energy?" 

 

 

 

 

"Yes" Mr. H replies "although they believe themselves to be strong by acting like blood thirsty monsters, like the one you nearly lost your life too, the truth is, behind that mask, is that they're broken Neku."

 

 

 

 

He then scratches his head and sighs as this isn't a topic Mr. H likes to talk about very often. Being an Angel, and a kind hearted man, Mr. H in someway is empathetic to these broken souls, wishing he could free them of that sadness.

 

 

 

"When they see Fledglings die Phones, they become happy, feeling that the energy will make them whole again, but it can't. They're two completely different energies that can't support each other. Unlike when you fused your soul with your partners, you see. It's basically the DNA of your energy, a Soul Code, what makes your soul unique, different from anyone else and what makes you human. It's that code that determines whether you're a human, Reaper, or Noise." Mr. H explains

 

 

 

 

"Eventhough your energy, for instance, is the exact opposite of Beat, you can still fuse with his soul because you're both human. You share that one link.That's why the demons are determined to make you face Soul Obstruction, to absorb all of your energy...and not just you,  all new born spirits face this risk. And especially people like you, people with strong imaginations." Mr. H said darkly

 

 

 

 

Neku then gasps in fear at the thought of his energy being completely absorbed

 

 

 

"But what even is Soul Obstruction Mr. Hanekoma?" he asks

 

 

 

 

"A fate far worse than Erasure" the Guardian responds.

 

 

 

 

"What?! How?! How can ANYTHING be worse than that?!" Neku exclaimed

 

 

 

 

It was one of the things he was always thinking about in the Reapers' Game. In the back of his mind he was always horrified of that happening to him.

 

 

 

 

"That's because… With Erasure, the body fades away, allowing the Mind, and Soul to be set free. If someone with a powerful imagination comes across these two forms of existence, such as us Angels, we can then make a new body for them. But NOT with Soul Obstruction. With Soul Obstruction, on the other hand, It destroys the energy within a Spirit, like what almost happened to you when you first came here." the Angel explained

 

 

 

"It's because of this, when the spirit begins to break apart, or Fade Away as Soul Obstruction is also called, they desperately cling to their mind, trying to think, trying to keep themselves conscious. It goes right down to the deepest depths of the soul, the Soul Core, and then goes to the Soul Code which completely destroys it. Doing this then destroys any proof of existence. It'd be as if, you were never born."

 

 

 

 

At this point the very description of it made Neku cringe. He began to squeeze his hair, terrified he was mere seconds from not dying, but from never being born.

 

 

 

"I …I almost FADED!" he screamed in his head "I saw my own energy escaping me! If Joshua hadn't--"

 

 

 

Mr. H then placed his hand on Neku's right shoulder making Neku gasp startling him.

 

 

 

"Phones, I'm not trying to scare you, but prepare you for tougher demons." The Guardian said worried

 

 

 

Neku then looked at Mr. H more determined

 

 

 

"But I'm not scared! I'm not afraid of anything! I beat the Reapers' Game! I fought Reapers at high levels of power, even fighting the Conductor, Shades, and won!" Neku roared shaking his fist, not wanting to admit how he feels

 

 

 

Mr. H then sighed and scratched his neck a little

 

 

 

"Phones" he said more firmly before returning to his more calm tone

 

 

"It's okay to be afraid. I can tell you are. I know you're trying to be strong and deny that feeling, but you shouldn't. Being afraid is your mind's way of warning you, that you're in danger. Trust that feeling Phones, cause that's your mind's way of keeping you safe. That's when you know you're either are strong enough to fight, or, are better off escaping."

 

 

 

 

Neku then looked down, feeling defeated. Not wanting to feel scared, but not wanting to ignore Mr. H's advice either. He then feels Mr. H place his hand on Neku's shoulder, making him look at his Guardian friend

 

 

 

 

"it's okay Phones" he said reassuringly

 

 

 

 

 

"I know you're scared of fighting them, and you should be. Demons are very strong, stronger than anything you ever faced in the Reapers' Game, even stronger than the Conductor and Composer fused Dragon Noise you fought." Mr. H said sternly

 

 

 

 

 

 

"what?! But that dragon Noise almost killed me! Shades was so strong fused to Joshua that I had to use up all my healing pins just to survive! I was so hurt in that fight that l just held on to arm to stop myself from passing out! If it wasn't for my friends, my Partners, boosting the Light Puck, triggering our Fusion attacks and boosting me up...I...I would've been killed!" Neku yelled urgently looking at his Angel friend

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You're right, but eventhough that's true, you found a way out Neku. You're stronger than you even know. You, the boy who thought you didn't have any dreams, no one to go back to when you were dead, was the one with imagination strong enough to take that thing down." Mr. H said smiling at Neku

 

 

 

 

 

"I know you can do this, and your Soul's much more stable compared to how it was when you first arrived here. In fact, it's exactly the same way it was when you ended the Reapers' Game, and the one Coco made you go through, the way it's been ever since you crossed into the RG." he says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

"really?" Neku exclaims

 

 

 

"yeah, that's why you need to be careful, and I'll teach you how to defend yourself against demons… but… there's also something else you need to hear…" Mr. H says still in that dark serious tone

 

 

 

 

"Remember when Cedric, the demon you faced began choking you, and was sending his energy surging inside of you? What'd it feel like?"

 

 

 

 

"Cedric" Neku thought clenching his teeth, remembering that mentally unstable, blood thirsty look Cedric had on his face as he was attacking Neku.

 

 

 

 

"it …it felt like he was electrocuting me… but at the same time it was burning me Mr. H… it's the most painful thing I've ever felt." He answers weakly

 

 

 

"Exactly what I feared, kiddo. That horrible pain you felt, was Demon energy flowing inside you." Mr. H explains

 

 

 

 

Neku then looked away from Mr. H clasping his right shoulder

 

 

 

 

"no…" he said weakly

 

 

"what does that mean, what'll happen to me?! He asked

 

 

 

"Phones, I hate saying this, to the point it makes me upset. I don't want to say it, but in order to protect you, you need to know…" Mr. H says grimly

 

 

 

 

He then shakes his head and sighs

 

 

 

 

"you could turn into a Demon…left unchecked that is"

 

 

 

 

"WHAT?! Neku screams terrified looking at him " I- I CAN'T...I can't let that happen!

 

 

 

 

Neku then hides his face and says "…Mr. H, what do you mean by 'left unchecked'?"

 

 

 

 

"Well there are ways of neutralizing energy. This depends entirely on the personality of the spirit infected with demon energy. With you, since your energy's so strong, it's difficult to determine what could effect it."

 

 

 

 

Mr. H says this knowing that this isn't the entire truth, although he knows Shiki and Neku have a bond, he has no idea if Shiki can really protect Neku from the Demonic energy taking over him.

 

 

 

 

Sensing how terrified and overwhelmed Neku is, to the point he's hiding his face deeply inside his funnel collar to the point all Mr. H could see was his bangs. Nudges him in the arm causing Neku to look at him.

 

 

 

 

"heh don't worry Phones, your pal Mr. H isn't gonna let anything happen to ya" he says smiling

 

 

 

 

"heh, heh… yeah I know…. Thanks" Neku says smiling back.

 

 

 

The last thing Mr. H does is then teach Neku a way to fight demons and with that he returned to the Composer Domain telling Neku not to feel afraid in the Fledgling area since his soul's so powerful now, only a really tough demon would try facing him and that the odds of that happening are extremely slim.

 

 

 

 

Neku then walks around his Shibuya with his face hidden in his collar and begins to feel someone's presence, because of his conversation with Mr. H he feels a little nervous. He then hears someone's footsteps getting closer and closer. He then thinks

 

 

 

 

"NO! Mr. H said that wouldn't happen, I'll be okay" reassuring himself.

 

 

 

 

"Neku!" a familiar voice calls out to him. The mere sound of it made him feel sick.

 

 

 

 

"NOOOOO! Neku thought filled with heartache "She can't be here! She CAN'T cause that would mean that…no...I have to be imagining things right?!"

 

 

 

He then felt someone hold his hand

 

 

 

 

"You okay?" the girl asks

 

 

 

"Shiki" Neku says weakly and just the sight of seeing her made him feel his eyes widen in shock


	13. Two Broken Souls

Neku than looks at her with disbelief, it was like a slap in the face. Everything he ever went through in the Reapers' Game, all the effort he put into surviving just one more day, pushing himself determined to keep fighting to give Shiki a second chance at living, all thrown away.

 

 

 

It hurt him to the point it ached, he couldn't bear to see her dead. All Neku wanted was for her to go back to her friend, to be with Eri again… and yet there she was standing before him as a Ghost, dead again.

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku what's wrong?" Shiki asked concerned seeing Neku so hurt

 

 

 

 

 

"it's…it's nothing… I'm okay Shiki" he says trying desperately to avoid the topic, he knows there's no point though. Once Shiki sees him hurting, she tries everything to make him feel better, but won't over do it

 

 

 

"Do you need some space?" She asks wondering if he needed time to himself.

 

 

 

"NO!" Neku roars startling Shiki

 

 

 

 

 

The hurt boy then hangs his head

 

 

 

 

"I… I don't want to be alone"

 

 

 

"Then tell me, tell me what's wrong Neku." Shiki responds beginning to have her eyes water from seeing Neku so vulnerable.

 

 

He then takes a deep breath and closes his eyes squeezing her hand, like as if he's trying to take it all in, that Shiki's right there in front of him.

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry" he says "It just hurts seeing you dead… But in a way, I'm glad you're here. Especially with your piggy" he chuckles

 

 

Shiki then looked at him and smiled

 

 

"heh. You know, the funny thing about Mr. Mew is, I never really meant to carry him around with me so much. I did it at first to remind you, Beat and Rhyme that you were seeing me for real, but I ended up just keeping him with me. I guess it's because this little toy is now a reminder of you guys, that you're all my friends now thanks to the UG. So, keeping him with me just sort of became a habit"

 

 

still hiding his face Neku then replied

 

 

"Yeah, it's kind of funny how it became so important...but, that's why it still hurts seeing you like this, even with your piggy. it's just that it hurts Shiki, all I ever thought about… was you" he says hiding his face

 

 

 

 

 

"HUH?!" Shiki exclaims turning bright red

 

 

 

"Back in the Game" he continues "I was determined to give you your second chance when Shades took you as my entry fee, even though in the end it was all a trick, still…I couldn't stand the thought knowing one slip up, one mistake would not only cost my life…but yours too. You would die, because of my mistakes. We would never get to see each other at the Hachiko statue like we promised. It's like what I told Joshua back then

 

_"I'm not fighting just for me anymore! Her life...is on the line too"_

 

 

 

 

Shiki's cheeks burned even harder

 

 

 

 

"N-NEKUUU!" She exclaims "where's all this coming from?!"

 

 

 

 

Neku then raised his head and turned his back towards her, letting go of her hand as he awkwardly scratched his head seeing her reaction

 

 

 

"I saw you Shiki, how you gave up on everything, and how you said you even threw your piggy away in a trash can and you were even going to burn it, like Mr. Mew doesn't matter anymore. Do you even understand how much that hurt to see? How much I felt like it was all my fault?…that if I hadn't died that you wouldn't feel that way?" Neku says in a dark tone of voice

 

 

 

 

 

Filled with sadness and guilt for him feeling that way, Shiki then pulls Neku towards her and hugs him. Although they never realized this, her small act of consoling Neku made Shiki's soul already begin to heal itself.

 

 

 

In addition to this Neku empowers her, he makes her feel strong like she has people who care about her and understands her sadness. It's because of this, her imagination began to increase at the same time making something happen to Mr. Mew.

 

 

 

 

 

The toy leaps from her arms causing them both to let go of each other in shock. They weren't surprised by it moving, after all, that was all because of Shiki's imagination back in the UG. What shocked them is what happened as he fell to the ground.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Mew had suddenly transformed into a panther.

 

 

 

 

"WHOA!" they both exclaimed in shock

 

 

 

 

The panther then went into an attack position as if it was going to pounce.

 

 

 

 

Neku stood in shock unsure of what he should do if the cat attacked him for some reason. But the moment the transformed toy made eye contact with Neku, it transformed back into the "piggy" he was familiar with.

 

 

 

 

"wha… what the hell was that about?!" Neku exclaimed in shock

 

 

 

 

 

"I have no idea Neku!" Shiki screamed just as shocked as him.

 

 

 

 

They then stare at each other's shocked face and began to laugh.

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, you know… it's been a while since I can honestly say I laughed to the point of my stomach hurting" Neku says happily

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, I know what you mean" Shiki says in agreement

 

 

 

Neku then took a deep breath and sighed ready to ask his hard question

 

 

 

 

 

"But there's something I need to know Shiki" Neku then removes all signs of humor from his face causing Shiki to understand how serious the conversation became.

 

 

 

 

"I saw you…I saw how hurt you were, and I saw how me telling you to be happy effected you…but still…I don't know how long that happiness lasted in you." Neku says in a weak voice

 

 

 

 

 

Putting two and two together Neku was desperate to know how she got to the Higher Plane.

 

 

 

 

"Neku what are you trying to say?" Shiki asks curiously

 

 

 

 

He was hesitant after all this isn't something people just talk about to one another, but he needed to know the truth. To empty his conscience

 

 

 

 

"Shiki… please…please tell me you DIDN'T do it!" he said softly.

 

 

 

 

"Neku?" Shiki responds

 

 

 

 

"please tell me…that...you didn't take your life" he finally says weakly

 

 

 

 

She was in shock, not so much about the question, but the fact that he thought she did it.

 

 

 

 

"N-Neku…" she says weakly "No… I didn't do that. Why would you even me ask that? …Did I really look that lifeless, did I really look that drained?"

 

 

 

 

He then hides his face...

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah…" Neku says coldly. "It just felt...distubring and messed up seeing you like that"

 

 

 

 

"so…if it wasn't that then…do you know how you died?" he asked worried

 

 

 

 

 

"no, not really, I went to sleep, woke up in The White Room again, and then in some sort of thick fog and was inside a spiral galaxy… and I eventually ended up here in the HP Shibuya." she answers him.

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then began to grit his teeth

 

 

 

 

"JOSHUUUUAAAAAAAA!" he roared with anger startling shiki

 

 

 

 

"Neku! What's wrong?!" shiki exclaimed startled by his reaction.

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua then appears to them to amuse himself at Neku's anger.

 

 

 

 

 

"yes, N-- UGH!" Joshua lets out a groan of pain as Neku punches him right in the mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

Amused Joshua then smiles closing his eyes and asks innocently

 

 

 

 

"What's wrong Neku?"

 

 

 

but then openes his eyes startled by a certain sound, his eyes then widen in shock seeing what's happened to Neku

 

 

 

 

 

He begins to growl very low, like some animal. His fists were trembling with rage. Neku's eyes went from his usual blueish grey color to bright red.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ngh!" Neku groans in pain as suddenly black slashes appear on his wrists going up his arms.

 

 

 

 

The mere sight of it all made Shiki gasp with fear

 

 

 

 

 

"NEKU!" she cried "What's happening to you?!"

 

 

 

 

as she watched him grunt in pain

 

 

 

 

His teeth then became like a dog's, removing any human-like quality to his teeth until all of them became sharp and jagged.

 

 

 

 

Joshua has an intrigued look on his face.

 

 

 

 

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT'S WRONG YOU BASTARD!" Neku roars

 

 

 

 

"Neku what are you talking about Joshua didn't do anything!" Shiki exclaims desperately trying to calm down her demonic friend.

 

 

 

 

"YES HE DID! HE KILLED YOU! HE TOOK YOUR LIFE AWAY! HE MADE YOUR HEART STOP BEATING JUST LIKE ME!" Neku shouted shaking his fist

 

 

 

 

he then began to roar with rage, but even that sounded inhuman.

 

 

 

 

 

Suddenly before Shiki could do anything to help him, Neku ran on all fours pouncing at Joshua.

 

 

 

 

 

"Rrrrrrgh! COMPOSEEEEER!" He screamed as he tried to slash Joshua with his claws.

 

 

 

 

Although Joshua was being entertained by Neku, he knew how bad the situation was. The Demon energy inside of Neku had finally begun to leak out of him. So he was cautious using the natural grace he has in his human form to dodge Neku's attacks.

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku…" Shiki said quietly as she stared in shock

 

 

 

 

 

She suddenly began to feel angry clenching her fists tightly, hating to see Neku behave like a wild animal, like she's lost her friend.

 

 

 

 

 

"NEKUUUUU!" she screamed as she charged towards her friend "Stop it! Calm down! This isn't like you, PLEASE stooooooop!"

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then ran ending up right behind Neku's back and tightly wrapped her arms around his chest. As soon as she did this, his claws turned back into fingernails, and the slash marks melted away. Then finally, Neku's eyes regained their original color.

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua then left with a satisfied look on his face, seeing how Shiki fulfilled her purpose for being brought to the Higher Plane.

 

 

 

 

 

Neku than began panting out of breath and then placed his hands on hers gently rubbing his fingers against hers and closed his eyes. When he did this he calmed down even more, sort of like when squeezing a stress ball, though not quite the same.

 

 

 

 

"Shiki…" Neku says weakly "I'm sorry you had to see that… I'm… I'm infected by a Demon Shiki, so…it's not safe to be around me and… you need…to go…just…leave me…it's not safe." he couldn't believe he was telling her this. It made him ache.

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku, I don't care about that, I don't care about that demon energy stuff. I'm not gonna leave you." she says in a strong voice

 

 

 

 

"But Shiki!" Neku exclaims horrified by her decision, turning towards her and making her let go

 

 

 

 

"But NOTHING Neku! I'm not going to abandon you!" She says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

Just that sentence "I'm not going to abandon you." it made him look at her in shock for a few seconds, and then hide his face within his bangs and hid his hands in his pockets

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku?" Shiki says confused hoping she didn't hurt him.

 

 

 

 

"No one's ever said that to me before" he replies.

 

 

 

 

Joshua satisfied by the performance appeared to them

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, I see you got our good friend Neku to calm down. That was quite intense wouldn't you say?" Joshua says as if it was all some scene from a movie.

 

 

 

 

Neku by this time was finally more relaxed, ignoring that comment, and both Neku and Shiki then looked towards him.

 

 

 

 

"Joshua… I need to ask you something." Neku says

 

 

 

 

"Oh? What would that be?" Joshua asks curiously

 

 

 

 

"When Shiki first came here… I saw her piggy… Mr. Mew, he transformed into a panther, right before our eyes! What's up with that?" he asks hoping Joshua has straightforward answer for once in his afterlife.

 

 

 

 

"Why Neku! You've known Shiki all this time and you still don't know?" he says chuckling

 

 

 

 

"Shiki's imagination is reacting to the Higher Plane… her soul sought the afterlife." Joshua then lets out that creepy laugh of his.

 

 

 

 

"Did she ever tell you how she entered my little game?" he then looks at Neku with the smile he hated, the one that use to make him feel nervous in the UG.

 

 

 

 

And with that remark, Joshua dissolved into sparks of light and went back into the Composer realm to resume watching the "show".

 

 

 

 

He then turned to a heartbroken Shiki with tears streaming down her face.

 

 

 

 

"Shiki… if it hurts that bad… you don't need to tell me. I can understand not wanting to tell people about that." he says sympathetically

 

 

 

 

"no… it's about time you knew." Shiki responds wiping her tears.

 

 

 

 

She took a deep breath and sighed preparing herself to reveal how she died to him…

 

 

 

 

"Shiki…" Neku thought

 

 

 

"Back before I ever met you… Before I knew Eri… I thought I had no purpose. That I was alive but, only because my heart was beating. I lived each day wanting them to end, like just waking up to face the world hurt me…I had no goals…and I didn't really have any value as a person back then." she then hangs her head in sadness.

 

 

 

 

Neku then looked shocked, knowing the feeling

 

 

 

 

"Other than my parents, I thought no one cared about me. I was…the "nerd" in school. I had nothing special about me, no talents, no friends nothing…Neku…it hurts so much feeling that way." she exclaims in a hurt weak voice.

 

 

 

 

 

"but...Then I met Eri…you know, when she saw me sew Mr. Mew. Then everything changed! for the first time in my life I felt like someone liked me, someone cared about me. She inspired me to make clothes. I made things I probably would never had thought of without her… and then I felt happy. We got to know each other and became really close too. For a while, I thought the sadness was gone…Until…what she said to me, that one sentence that broke apart my world."

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki's eyes began to water from remembering what happens next.

 

 

 

 

 

Neku than felt uneasy getting a feeling of bitterness as he hid his face.

 

 

 

 

 

"No…She…she didn't do that" Neku thought

 

 

 

 

"She then saw me struggling trying to design something. I just couldn't think of what clothes to make, no ideas were coming…and said to me:

 

 

 

 

" _Shiki, you're not meant to be a designer."_

 

 

 

 

"It tore me apart…My entire world came crashing down Neku…it was the last straw," she said coldly as tears went down her face

 

 

 

 

"NO!" Neku yelled at her "shiki you know she didn't mean it like that! You know she didn't!"

 

 

 

 

"yeah now I do… but not back then" she continued, "I thought :if even Eri's giving up on me… then there's no need for me to be here. No one needs me. Heh, I remember sometimes thinking if I were to disappear right now, would anyone miss me?"

 

 

 

 

Neku's heart sank and his eyes were filled with sadness

 

 

 

 

Shiki notices this and says

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku… I'll stop, I don't want to hurt you." she says sweetly

 

 

 

 

"no… please Shiki… don't hold this in anymore. After all, you taught me that

 

 

 

 

 _"Sometimes when people ask for help, all they really need is someone to listen"_ he reminds her.

 

 

 

 

Shiki reveals a faint smile seeing how her words impacted him to the point he quoted her.

 

 

 

 

"okay…" she responds "so since I felt like, no one really cared about me that I had to be Eri, that if I could be like her than people would like me…I thought of multiple ways to do it"

 

 

 

 

"Shiki, I'm sorry" Neku thought

 

 

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head

 

 

 

 

"But something went wrong...I wanted to do it, I really did...so I went and walked around Shibuya, taking in the sights one last time. I was headed on my way home and walked past Miyashita Park, but as I did and walked down the stairs, I tripped and fell down. I remember smacking my head a few times against them until I felt one really hard smack, and then...nothing. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the UG and saw my clothes had changed, that I was Eri. While I was happy about being Eri, it wasn't how I wanted to die." She said sadly

 

 

 

 

Neku wanted to speak but he was in shock as he just listened taking in every word she said. Each word was so painful it was like someone punched him in the stomach. It was hurting him just to hear all this.

 

 

 

 

"How I wanted to die Neku, was 'cause of my dad. He was a Cop you see? One of Shibuya's finest. So I knew he had to have a gun somewhere despite being retired." Shiki explained

 

 

 

 

"No" Neku thought filled with heartache

 

 

 

 

 

 

"so… I would've snuck into his room when my dad was asleep, find the gun in my dad's dresser and made sure it wasn't loaded so I could hold the gun without having to worry about accidentally firing it. I planned in my head how I would then take the bullets and gun out of his room and after that, I would've tried to figure out how to put the bullets in and...end it all." Shiki admitted

 

 

 

 

His eyes widened terrified of how the story was going to end.

 

 

 

 

"Do you understand what that means Neku?" Shiki said with her eyes watering a little

 

 

 

 

"If I hadn't had fallen down those stairs, I would've ended my life later that day" She said with a lump in her throat

 

 

 

 

Neku was pale he couldn't believe how similar yet opposite they were. Both hurt by the world, both of them felt hurt by their friends. Even their deaths were similar but opposite, like their opposite entry fees.

 

 

 

 

Neku's life ended through murder and Shiki's life ended on accident. Neku never wanted to get shot with a gun, but Shiki wanted to take her's away with one…

 

 

 

 

"NO!" Neku roared "Eri was still your friend wasn't she?! Eri was going to give up being a designer because of your accident remember?!"

 

 

 

 

"I didn't know... I didn't know anymore Neku." Shiki said looking up at Neku before hanging her head again "I thought Eri didn't like me anymore so...that's why I did it"

 

 

 

 

"Shiki…" Neku said sadly hiding his face "was… was it all worth it?"

 

 

 

 

"Huh?" Shiki exclaims

 

 

 

 

"did it help? Planning out your death, only to die in an accident? What did that do?! It caused you to suffer even more… being in the UG just made you hurt even more Shiki!"

 

 

 

 

 

"I KNOW NEKU!" Shiki roared tears streaming "But then… I met you!"

 

 

 

 

He looked at her shocked again

 

 

 

 

"Huh?" he exclaims

 

 

 

 

"you…you helped me Neku!" Shiki said with a little smile  "I was lying to myself being Eri remember? And then you… you saved my life, you LITERALLY saved it! You made me want to live again. When I broke down and couldn't pretend to be happy anymore, I ran away and then when you found me…you were the first person to ever tell me--

 

 _"I like you the way you are"_  

 

 

"on top of that you even encouraged me to be myself you said--"

 

 

 

_Oh would you cut the crap? just who exactly are you? You're YOU! You're not your friend and you never will be! You need to live out your own life. If she can do it, then so can you, and you should be GLAD that you were jealous, jealousy gives you something to shoot for… so… shoot._

 

 

 

 

"From that point on I wasn't afraid to live again, I wasn't scared of getting a second chance! It was all thanks to you Neku! Odds are, if I had any other person as my partner, I would've stayed in the UG so I could live in my illusion of being someone I'm not."

 

 

 

 

" _You_  Neku Sakuraba, you inspired me to live." Shiki concluded

 

 

 

 

"I… I inspired you?!" Neku asked in shock. "I… I've never impacted someone's life before… I never thought I could."

 

 

 

 

Shiki then smiles and says "well you did…Thanks Neku. If it wasn't for you, I would've never come back"

 

 

 

 

"heh, heh, you know… it's funny, how similar yet, opposite we are. Right down to how we died." Neku says awkwardly scratching his neck.

 

 

 

 

"Believe it or not, I know where you're coming from" Neku admits sadly. "At one point in my life… I almost got to that point too."

 

 

 

 

The two broken ghosts filled with heartache stare at each other amazed by how they could relate to each other despite their clashing differences. Shiki then stares at Neku and asks him

 

 

 

 

'Neku...Do you mind telling me what pushed you to do it too?" Shiki asked while hugging Mr. Mew

 

 

 

 

 

"No… I need to let mine go too…" Neku says weakly

 

 

 

 

To be continued…


	14. Two Broken Souls (part 2)

Neku then sighed and mumbled to her and scratched his neck

 

 

 

 

"where to begin? Well… I guess first of all I should start out with saying...well...you're not the only one who felt like a loser, like no one really likes you...my past got so bad that...I didn't want to open up to people ever again"

 

"WHAT?! BUT NEKU, WHAT ABOUT CAT?! WHAT ABO--" Shiki shrieked

 

He then extends his hand out and patted her on the head

 

 

"It's my turn now remember?" Neku smiled reassuringly

 

 

She then blushes "oh right… sorry"

 

 

"heh, heh don't mention it" Neku replies

 

 

"I guess we should start off when I was a kid… I'm sure you wondered it right? What made me so hurt that it made me into the person you met? Well… that's 'cause unlike a lot of people, I kinda had a crappy childhood. Most people see it as the "golden years" the years people cherish and want to relive. But for me, I'm glad I left that hell hole behind… especially since well…"

 

 

 

at this point, Neku's face darkened hiding his face in his collar while letting his bangs cover his eyes, with his hands in his pockets

 

 

"mine was...nothing painful memories...especially when I got older."

 

 

"Neku…" Shiki says feeling hurt at the thought of Neku becoming depressed so young

 

 

"I… I've never been good with people, either I talked too much and didn't know how to shut the hell up and because of that, annoyed people when I was a little kid, or didn't talk at all pushing everyone away as I got older…I still remember it too, back when all my friends abandoned me...and how for some reason there was mainly two ways my friends hurt me now that I think about it" Neku said sadly

 

 

"Even at nine years old in the 3rd grade, I still had a strong love of individualism. In my elementary school it was "cool" to be a sports lover, a jock. It was "cool" to be all hyper and stupid making dumb noises to be "funny" and well, I didn't want to change myself to get someone else's approval" he explained

 

 

 

"I knew if I did, that I wouldn't be myself anymore. So people would call me "the weird drawing guy" "the quiet loser" "freak" and… their eyes…the way they'd all look at me, It was like I was scum, like I was a weird _thing_ instead of a person. My "friends" back then... they were there for me and supported me, making me expose my sadness to them making me feel like I could trust them. but then...the next thing I knew, they all made fun of me and said I was weird for not liking what other people like."

 

 

 

 

Neku remembering all of this had a gut-wrenching feeling in his stomach. he then takes a deep breath and then looks at the city, looking ahead of him with a little smile

 

 

 

 

"At first, I actually did have friends...they were all there for me and supported me. We'd hang out together at each other's houses playing video games or walk around the city just getting to know each other. From learning the types of music we both liked, to learning personal things too, learning about...what we don't like, what bothers us...what we're...uncomfortable with, and for a while, things were good." Neku said with a smile

 

 

it then vanished though as he remembered how those happy memories didn't last

 

 

"It happened at first because of me exposing myself...I can't remember what happened exactly 'cause it's been so...long...but what I do remember is...back when I was little, probably seven or eight years old. I was at a friend's house and we stayed up waaay late at night just talking, getting to know each other and he noticed how I was avoiding going to sleep." The sad boy explained

 

 

"he then asked me why and I just told him that I that I didn't like going to sleep...'cause back then, I would...see things...in the dark, and they used to keep me up at night. I thought that whatever my imagination was making me see, was real. That's what I told him...and now you I guess...but, he told me he wouldn't tell anyone and that my secret was safe with him" Neku said clasping his right shoulder

 

 

Shiki then hangs her head seeing how it made him uncomfortable to talk about being scared, even if it was when he was a little kid

 

 

"But Neku, it's okay to be freaked out by what you see in the dark. it's really common and, with that wild and creative imagination of yours, I can only imagine what that would have done to you when you were little." Shiki said sweetly

 

 

Neku then looked at her and smiled

 

 

"Yeah...you're right. I would stay up at night 'cause my imagination was so crazy, I...I could've sworn that whatever I saw back then, it felt real. Those...figures I saw...l thought that they were gonna kill me. heh, even as a little kid, my imagination was already pretty intense." Neku said with his left arm on his waist and right hand down

 

 

Shiki then chuckled

 

"I promise I won't tell anyone. I wouldn't want people knowing that sort of thing either" Shiki said smiling

 

 

 

"thanks, but...I don't want secrets from Beat and Rhyme, so...if the time ever comes, if I haven't told them already, you can tell them too" Neku said smiling

 

 

"Don't mention it, and I'm glad you trust all of us" Shiki said happily

 

 

"So, then what?" she asked

 

 

Neku's smile then vanished and he hanged his head

 

 

"that's when I got hurt from exposing myself" he said darkly

 

 

"I went to school with that guy the following day, and he told me to come talk to his other friends before class started, and when I did, they… they all said:

 

_"Hey, don't you think the reason you have a hard time being around people is because you're just too weird? It's because of what you like, that makes you weird. What kind of kid doesn't listen to what's in right now? THOSE are the musicians that matter. What a weird freak!"_

 

"why would you ask such a thing? I use to wonder. They all thought I was a freak. They would even toss around rumors about me, and say things like:

 

 

_you know that Neku kid? He's a weird guy, don't go near him He doesn't like what we do._

 

 

"I argued with them back then telling them they were wrong! That there's nothing wrong with me! But...it didn't solve anything! To make it even worse, then the person that I thought was my friend...I saw him whispering to the other students..when they saw me, they all pointed and laughed saying that I was a loser, and a wimp for seeing things in the dark that kept me up at night! They just kept insisting that I was a freak! I couldn't believe it! I trusted him, and he told everyone my secret! he broke my trust! Then one by one my childhood friends left me!" Neku screamed

 

 

 

 

"Neku...I'm so sorry!" Shiki said hanging her head

 

 

 

"There was another time too, back when I was a kid where I...I was really excited about a show I watched. I just...got super passionate about it, and wanted to tell my friends about it,  and there was a part where I began to laugh because of a part that was funny. When I did...they said for me....to shut up and stop talking, that I was annoying, laughing too loud and talking too much. That's also why over the years I stopped laughing too...apparently being passionate about things is bad...at least according to them. " Neku said hanging his head

 

 

"What?! No! No it isn't Neku! it's okay to feel happy and passionate about things! Those people were just jerks!" Shiki yelled

 

 

 

The saddend and hurt boy then looked up at her and smiled

 

 

 

"Yeah..." he said sweetly

 

 

 

he then continued to tell her more

 

 

 

 

 "Heh heh, I remember how they, how my friends who betrayed me would even tease me and flick me in the arm, and then flick someone else saying " you have Neku germs, you have Neku germs" I know it doesn't seem like such a big deal now… but back then, it stung me Shiki.

 

 

 

 

Her eyes began to water seeing how just talking about it makes him feel pain.

 

 

 

 

"It was basically declaring me the lowest of the low, cause only the loser kids would get picked on like that. All because I wasn't "cool". One of my former friends even asked me what kind of music I like and when I told them how I listen to, non-mainstream techno, non-mainstream hip hop… since bands under this genre are NOT mainstream or popular…And actually give a crap about their fan base and music, not letting the fame get to their heads...especially since as an indie musician, you have a lot more on the line without a big record label to back you up...not like they cared about that. They didn't care about music like I do." Neku said sadly

 

 

Neku then was filled with anger as he remembered what happened next

 

 

 

"He just stared at me with those creepy, cold, hurtful eyes again and said "what's wrong with you?" AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE WORST PART! That person, he did it on purpose! He asked me that around a ton of people to use that against me!" He screamed

 

 

"it got me so angry that, the next thing I knew, I was crying, and then they laughed at me for that too! AGAIN! Someone I knew used something that was personal for me against me! This is why! This is why I couldn't stand the thought of opening up to people! WHY BOTHER?! Not when all it leads to is people using your personal information against you! The things that matter to you!" Neku said shaking his fist angrily

 

 

 

"That's why you would push people away like that? Neku...I...I had no idea! I'm so sorry" Shiki said with her eyes watering a little

 

 

 

"My former friends, they even made fun of me for stupid things like, me not being able to solve certain math problems when I was a kid… I even struggled with that in the Game sometimes. Even if I was able to memorize the square root of three and solve some of the math problems in week 2, there were still some that I couldn't." Neku admits hanging his head

 

 

"but, Neku it's okay to have a hard time with some math problems. Everyone does at some point!" Shiki said urgently

 

 

"You're right, thanks for that" Neku said weakly

 

 

He then closed his eyes and sighed remembering what happened to him

 

 

 

Shiki then walked up to him and held his hand

 

 

"don't mention it" shiki replies

 

 

"So then what?" She asked

 

 

"well… then it all spiraled outta control and I lost even more friends." Neku replies

 

 

 

"I went up to them one day, and just said hi. I just greeted them… so… then I saw they didn't say anything. So I tried again… still no response. When I asked what was wrong all of them all of my "FRIENDS" THEY ALL SAID IT TO MY FACE!"

 

 

_Hey, can you just GO AWAY?! we don't want to talk to you anymore!_

 

 

I… I didn't understand… so I thought maybe they had a rough day for something you know?!?

 

 

At this point Neku then lets go of her hand and yelled shaking his fist

 

 

"BUT IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF A BAD DAY!" Neku screamed "They…They abandoned me Shiki! After that day they never spoke to me again. As is that wasn't enough, it happened AGAIN! There was another friend I had, the same person who said to me:

 

 

'I would never tell people what bothers you'

 

 

was telling me to go away and then told other kids how I had a hard time having to do presentations in class, that I was a little baby and stupid for not being able to handle being around people! It was a stab in the back. I couldn't believe it… I even remember thinking

 

 

"Did I do this? Was it something I said? WHY?!"

 

 

Neku then chuckles at her and says.

 

 

After that, I thought my life was turning around towards the end of Elementary School cause I made sure I was alone and… I had already built a hatred towards people by then. But then, somehow I met people that were more like me...I thought that maybe it was a fresh start, when I had just started Middle school...only for the same thing to happen AGAIN! During early middle school, they left me one by one, and told other people I was weird. Saying I was the "loser boy" It's because of that I was stabbed in the back AGAIN…

 

 

 

Neku then began to cringe squeezing his hair "Dammit! …I don't get why that happened! I DON'T HAVE ANY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS SHIKI! EVERYONE FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THEY ALL ABANDONED ME!

 

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head filled with sadness.

 

 

"I don't know what to say" she said weakly  as her eyes watered with a tear going down her left cheek "I hate that all of that happened to you"

 

 

 

seeing her so sad, Neku then looks at her feeling like he should stop, and then turns his back to her

 

 

"sorry Shiki… I don't want you to see me so mad" Neku says apologetically with his hand on his right shoulder

 

 

"I won't say anymore, I don't want you to be upset" he said weakly

 

 

Shiki then sighed

 

 

"No...I'm okay Neku really. please, don't stop now okay?" Shiki said sweetly

 

 

Neku then turned back to her and smiled at her and sighed

 

 

 

"alright, I'll go on" Neku said happy that she was willing to listen to him

 

 

"While I was the "loser boy" I had only one good friend, everything was fine until… the day he got tired of me." he says hiding his face

 

 

"Neku… come on, I'm sure he didn't mean that right?" Shiki says trying to cheer him up.

 

 

"he did Shiki, he said it right to my face. He said…

 

 

_I've had enough alright? just go the hell away. I don't need you anymore. Do you want to know WHY I was your friend? I pitied you. I thought that if I didn't be with you, you'd go do something out of being an emo loser… a whiny little pessimist. But I've had enough so… go do whatever you want to yourself. I don't care anymore. you're worthless..._

 

 

 

Shiki then looked in shock

 

 

 

"that's so cruel! How could anyone say that! How could someone befriend Neku out of pitty?! That's so messed up!" Shiki thought filled with heartache

 

 

 

"it got even worse too! I'm sure you wondered it right? why did I push you and Rhyme away when you guys were trying to be nice to me? back before I tried to just...be alone. My friends in middle school would be nice and say things like: "I would never mess with you" or "I want to be your friend" But in the end...their smiles, their kindness, it was ALL A LIE! IT WAS FAKE!"

 

 

"Neku" Shiki said weakly

 

 

She then flashed back to what Neku said about friends while being his partner in the UG

 

_"friends are just idiots who laugh and pretend to care about you! Making you expose yourself and getting yourself HURT!"_

 

 

Shiki then squeezed Mr. Mew feeling her eyes water

 

 

"So that's why he said that to me...they all started out like me and Rhyme...people who were nice to him...only to betray him!" Shiki thought sadly

 

 

"That's why...why I couldn't stand you and Rhyme back then, I thought it was a lie, even when you tried complimenting me and my ability to use Psychs, I thought you were just...messing with me...I learned...you can hide A LOT behind a smile" Neku said hiding his hand in his pockets and hiding his face in his collar

 

 

 _"You're a genius Neku! a Psych genius!"_ Shiki remembered saying to him

 

 

"Do you see why then? When you complimented me on using Psychs so well... I thought:

 

 

_"If you're going to compliment someone, the least you can do is be genuine about it"_

 

 

"I thought you were just being fake" Neku said hurt

 

 

 

Shiki then couldn't help but look at Neku in shock again, feeling a little hurt

 

 

 

 

"Neku" She says sadly

 

 

 

"I… I couldn't take it anymore Shiki!" Neku says shaking his fist again "that's when I grew my _hate_ towards people.

 

 

 

 

"It was to the point just hearing people talk made me get frustrated. It was to the point I'd scream SHUT UP! STOP TALKING! JUST GO THE HELL AWAY! wanting to make the noise stop, wanting people to leave me alone! I just couldn't take it anymore… I…

 

 

 

 

"Neku...I...I wish there was something I could've done, that I knew you back then. I'm sorry" Shiki said sadly

 

 

 

 

Neku then sighed trying to calm down

 

 

 

 

"it's okay. Besides, even if you did know me back then, I would've tried to avoid you too, like how I would get wrapped up in my thoughts and walk away from you when we were partners. It's how I would try to escape from people back then. I got so used to it, that it'd just sort of automatically happen" Neku said weakly with his left in his pocket and right hand outward

 

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head a little

 

 

"Yeah, I remember. You did that especially during the first few days of the Game...but...knowing what went behind that, I guess I can see why, why you wanted to avoid me too" she said  rubbing her left eye to get rid of a tear

 

 

"There has to be something that helped you back then besides pushing people away with music right? What about your love for graffiti?" Shiki said with a little smile

 

 

he then continued and smiled back

 

 

"that's when I finally learned about CAT. I saw the Tag Mural for the first time in Udagawa back when I was 13. I loved graffiti even back then and found out there was even a website dedicated to CAT called

 

 

Ghostcatscrib.com

 

 

It had tons of info on what CAT is and how the identity of the graffiti artist is unknown. I thought it was really cool but… the one thing that really caught my eye was the slogan: _Do what you want, How you want, when you want_

 

Neku then chuckled "heh, heh, I remember thinking that the slogan was amazing, that I wanted to live like CAT do what you want, how you want, when you want and Enjoy Every Moment with all you've got. MEANING to live free, and be happy. But… not even CAT's awesome message could prepare me for what was gonna happen in the second week of the 7th grade." Neku says weakly

 

 

She then thought "What happened in his second week of being in the 7th grade? What hurt him to the point he couldn't take it anymore?"

 

 

"I made friends...but they all ended up hurting me" Neku said feeling his eyes burn

 

 

"Neku… it's not your fault you know that right?" Shiki says sweetly trying to make him feel better.

 

 

 

"yeah…. I do now… but, not back then" He responds woefully.

 

 

"As much as I tried to be alone, as hard as I could, it's school you know? So I was surrounded by people and eventually, there was one last point in my life where I had friends, I couldn't help it! I tried to avoid them but...we began to click, it began to feel real...or so I thought."Neku said hurt

 

 

"back then in the 7th Grade, I got into arguments with my past friends back then. I can't remember why we had them... but what I do remember is what it was about...once again, people just...didn't like me for being myself" Neku said sadly

 

 

"I remember we were playing some video games and then after a while, we stopped and I introduced one of them to CAT and his work...the person didn't approve. It's okay for people to not like all the same things...I get that, but the way he reacted...that's what hurt. He said:

 

 

_"you actually like this stuff? don't you see how this stuff is bad? it's graffiti! it's stupid little scribbles, and anyone who actually likes this stuff is an idiot, a jackass who's just asking for trouble!"_

 

 

 

_"What?!" Neku roared_

_"How can you say that?! You have no idea what it's like, all the things a graffiti artist goes through just to make their art! They have to make their art in the middle of the night with little light to help them, or do it at DAWN just to make sure they don't get caught!" Neku screamed shaking his fist_

 

_the old friend then just laughed at Neku's face_

_"Hahahaha! oh please! Did it ever occur to you that maybe if they just didn't do that crap that they wouldn't be getting into trouble, to begin with? They're just idiots who waste their time doing something worthless and pointless! People who support this are just as stupid and so is this stupid criminal named CAT!"_

 

 

 

that was the last straw

 

 

 

_"Rrrgh! SHUT UP! CAT isn't stupid and isn't a criminal! CAT DOES NOTHING WRONG! CAT uses graffiti to promote his ideas and messages, that people can enjoy life and do what you want! People who support graffiti aren't idiots you piece of crap! Don't you ever insult CAT again! You...Rrrgh! You're not my friend! How can you insult what means so much to me?! I...I thought you respected me! That even if you didn't agree with my values, that you'd at least try to understand them!" Neku screamed filled with hate_

 

 

_Neku then hid his face in his collar with only his bangs showing and hid his hands in his pockets_

_"I...I've got my values, so you can keep yours alright?"_

 

 

_"HAHAHAHAHA! what a jackass! You think I'm a piece of crap for telling you the truth?! You're even more pathetic and worthless than I thought... we're done...have fun living in your delusional fantasy world!" the old friend then walked away from Neku and left his house... never to be seen again as tears streamed down Neku's face_

 

 

 

 

It happened again, and Neku got into an argument with another person who would become his former friend for not liking certain things about Neku

 

 

 

_"You know, did you ever think the reason why people don't like you is just... you? Doesn't help that you look lame" The person said mockingly_

_"What?" Neku said weakly_

_"You're a really needy guy who depends on having some friend be with you to feel better. Talk about desperate. Your taste in music, your overbearing personality and on top of that, you can be so whiny. seriously, what's wrong with you?_ _HAHAHAHAHA! what a freak!" the person said as Neku's hands clenched into fists_

_"SCREW YOU! I'm not needy, I'm not desperate! and...What the hell do mean my taste in music sucks?! I listen to music with actual effort put into it, actual structure! Not the crap you hear on the radio and I don't give a rat's ass of what you think! I'm not gonna change who I am!" Neku screamed shaking his fist_

_"HAHAHAHA! Then why do you look so hurt huh? You're such an emotional little piece of crap, it's no wonder people don't like you...in the end, people think you're a loser because it's true...you're a freak who's so lost in his own pathetic values that he can't even see how much of a fool he is" The person remarked_

_Neku then hid his face in his collar and hid his hands in his pockets_

_"Shut up" Neku snarled_

_"Did I pinch a nerve? more like squeezed it, so stupid you can't handle anyone saying something bad about you" the person said again_

_"I...I said_

_Neku then raised his head and screamed at the person he thought was his friend as he shook his fist_

_"SHUT UP! You think just cause I've seen how you get along better with people than me, that you're better than me but you're not! I've seen how you're able to just walk up to anyone and start a conversation_ _like you're able to handle being around anyone! Just cause I don't like being around people doesn't make me less than you! IT MAKES ME WHO I AM! EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST IS WHY I AM THIS WAY!"_

_"So you're a hypocrite, you said you don't change who you are to please others, yet the world changed you? you're pathetic, people like YOU deserve to be alone and DESERVE to have no friends...you're worthless"_

_"Hypocrite?!" Neku screamed "Screw you! I'm not a hypocrite and I don't change who I am to please others, ever! I can't help that those people hurt me! I can't help that they broke my trust! I like what I like, and wear what I want to wear, following trends is dumb doing things to make other people like you are dumb! I do what I want cause it's part of WHO I AM!"_

_the old friend that hurt Neku then rolled his eyes at him_

_"You're a freak, and that's why you'll be alone, you deserve to be alone_ _" the person said coldly_

_Neku then hid his face in his collar and hid his hands in his pockets_

_"SHUT UP! STOP TALKING! and just go the hell away! I don't need you...I don't need anyone" Neku said darkly_

after that, he couldn't help but feel himself slouch and his arms dangle as tears streamed down his face

there was another time in the 7th grade where he had a friend who would try to hang out with Neku, only to then not show up. He was okay with it happening the first time, things happen and plans fall apart.

 

 

 

But then it happened, a 2nd time, a 3rd time and a 4th, he knew that the person he thought was his friend, was leaving him flat, just ditching Neku whenever the person had the chance. It was then that Neku couldn't help but think again:

 

 

 

 

_"People just drag you down and hold you back...this is why I'm better off on my own" Neku thought hurt_

 

 

 

"it happened multiple times too, my...friends they'd get into arguments with me over dumb things, over things that just...make me who I am...and I'm not gonna change who I am to please others. After that...it was over. I spent the rest of school alone. You can't force people to change...you can only inspire them to...that's what you guys did. You all inspired me...to expand my world. You guys helped me be myself, but in a new way." Neku said filled with heartache

 

 

 

 

Shiki then flashed back to one of the things he yelled at her upset,

 

 

 

 

_"Screw having friends! All they do is start pointless arguments that lead you NOWHERE!"_

 

 

 

 

"I'm...so sorry Neku!" Shiki yelled filled with heartache "That's why you hated the idea of friends! I'm so sorry!"

 

 

She then tried to calm down and cheer up Neku

 

 

"What about your parents? They had to have helped you right?" She said hopeful

 

 

Neku then raised his right hand by his head a little frustrated by them

 

 

"No...they weren't. They just told me that that's how people are. They told me that people tend to dislike or make fun of other people who don't try to fit in. On top of that, my parents back then were hardly ever home. I'd often times come home alone. They'd always be busy with work or other errands that by the time they got home, they'd just be really tired and go to bed. So I was pretty much on my own. Even when my parents were home, it didn't really feel like it" he answered

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head

 

 

"Not even his parents?" Shiki thought sadly "I'm glad their relationship with Neku improved after the Reapers' Game"

 

 

Neku then continued explaining why he is the way he is. He then hid his face in his collar and hands in his pockets 

 

"It's like what Joshua said to me. He asked me if I really wanted to come back to life. That I would be just as alone in the UG as I would be if I was in the RG. And the thing is, he was right" Neku said weakly 

 

"Neku" Shiki said sadly 

 

"There was only one reason, only one thing that made me want to come back, that gave me something to come back to" he added, now feeling a little embarrassed 

 

Shiki then looked st him surprised and gasped 

 

"You mean our promise?!" She said shocked

 

Neku then scratched his head 

 

"Basically. Heh, I...I finally had something to come back to. I had a reason to live again...because of...you" he said shyly 

 

She then sees Neku turn towards her again and looked at Neku sad with Mr. Mew against her chest but then smiled 

 

"Well...I'm glad. I'm really glad you told me that. It feels nice to be needed" she said while looking away a little shy

 

 

He then scratched his head again followed by smiling with his right hand on his hip

 

"Yeah...it gives us purpose" he said with a smile 

 

He then hid his face in his collarand hands in his pockets again and then continued 

 

 

"Do you remember how I reacted when Rhyme was erased?" Neku asked clasping his right shoulder "You said I was inhuman… no better than a Reaper."

 

 

 

 

Shiki then hangs her head seeing how that hurt him.

 

 

 

 

"But the truth is...is that I felt like crap,  I just didn't really show it because I didn't want to feel" he says with his face hidden in his collar and hands in his pockets

 

 

 

"What?! Neku...that's what makes us human" Shiki thinks filled with heartache while looking at him in shock

 

 

 

"But...you saw someone die right in front of you! How could you not feel anything?" Shiki asked sadly

 

 

 

 

Neku then looked towards her

 

 

 

"It's because...every time my friends hurt me back then, it was so intense it hurt me physically. I would get pain in my chest, my stomach, and then cry. They messed with me so bad that it literally HURT Shiki! So why? Why would I want to feel anything? As time went on, I tried as hard as I could not to react, to not really show...anything. I started this when I was in elementary school and by the time I entered Middle school it felt natural." he said darkly with his eyes in his bangs and hands in his pockets

 

 

 

"Those times in late elementary school and early middle school where my friends hurt me, was the last time I felt sadness that intense. So by the time I was in the Reapers' Game, It had happened for so long, it was just who I am. I just became more and more withdrawn from people. So I didn't really feel that upset for Rhyme, why would I be hurt over someone I barely knew right?" Neku said with his left hand in his pocket and right hand extended outward

 

 

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head seeing how deep the damage really was, that he started to not really feel

 

 

 

"But you did at some point...didn't you?" Shiki asked worriedly

 

 

 

 

"Yeah...it took a little bit, but then I felt sad for her, the first thing l thought after seeing her get erased was how l gelt like crap. Especially 'cause...her death was familiar" Neku added

 

 

 

"Familiar? how so?" Shiki asked looking at him

 

 

 

"it's because, on top of that… Rhyme… she died the same way my friend did… Takato Kurosai… or Taki for short"

 

 

 

"Takato?" she asked confused

 

 

 

"yeah we were hanging out at Miyashita Park, not the Underpass… the actual park, you know… where the trains go by? I took him there to save Udagawa for last, to take him to my favorite spot. I thought it would be a rad way to end our time together"

 Neku says with his face still hidden

 

"we were just goofing off, just… hanging out together, and we well… we started roughhousing …heh heh.. It was kinda fun. But… it all ended so fast."

 

Neku then lifted his head standing normally with his hands at his sides

 

"As we started pushing and shoving each other he knocked me towards the train tracks. I'll never forget that horrified look he had on his face" he said clasping his right shoulder

 

 

 

"He…he saved my life… He pushed me out of the way of the train coming and… In the blink of an eye LITERALLY at one blink, his body was smashed by the impact of the train! HIS BODY...HE... TAKI PRACTICALLY BLEW UP! ONLY A SMALL PIECE OF HIS SHIRT WAS LEFT! IT WAS ALL MY FAULT! I got my only friend KILLED! GOING THERE TO MIYASHITA PARK, THAT WAS MY IDEA! There were so many things I never got to do with him! I..I wanted to take him to Udagawa! But I COULD NEVER TAKE IT BACK!"

 

Neku screamed squeezing his hair.

 

"Neku… I can't believe this… I'm so sorry!" she screamed

 

"it …it was all over then" he said hiding his face "My one real friend… DEAD because… I didn't react fast enough. There was nothing I could do! it happened all so fast. I didn't know what to do. He saved my life, but it didn't feel right being there without him" 

 

Shiki couldn't take it she just froze taking in everything Neku told her.

 

 

Neku then and took a deep breath.

 

 

"But I started to wonder...what l should do with my life. Taki...he died to save me...I didn't want that to be for nothing. As I went back and forth from feeling like crap to trying to live for Taki's sake, I took a walk to Udagawa to look at CAT's tagmural...one last time, not sure if l ever wanted to go back there ever again yet...when I did, I felt...better. I suddenly just wanted to look at the Ghost Cat, to look at all the cool colors used in CAT's graffiti. Before I knew it, I...I felt myself smile" the graffiti lover said happily

 

 

"Then, after that...I wanted to learn even more about CAT and found out about how he made other things besides graffiti too. The next thing I knew, I was practicing how to draw graffiti with colored pencils and recreate the Ghost Cat from memory. CAT really saved me" Neku said smiling

 

 

"I left the tag mural that day and as I walked back home, I then wondered why all that happened to me… and then it hit me...I couldn't stand people, I wanted my music always with me to block people out and…I was...nervous, I didn't want to expand my world or let people in, or trust someone ever again...not if it meant being hurt. And then it hit me the reason I hate people...

 

_"I don't get people, never have… never will."_

 

Shiki began to cry. She was enraged she HATED knowing how so many people hurt him.

 

 

Neku notices this and looks at her with sad eyes

 

 

 

"Shiki...I won't say anything else...I can...already see how this hurts you." he said weakly

 

 

Shiki then wiped away her tears and looked at him smiling

 

 

"No...I'm okay Neku, I told you my past so I could let it go. You were there for me, so I'll be there for you too." she said sweetly

 

 

Neku then smiled back at her

 

 

 

"alright...thanks" he said shyly

 

 

Neku continues still smiling at her and says

 

 

"But then I met you, and although I would've never admitted this to you back then but, you really helped me. When I had amnesia, you reintroduced me to the City… if I hadn't had a partner that knew Shibuya so well… I probably wouldn't have made it past the first week."

 

 

then awkwardly scratches his head

 

 

Shiki stares at him in shock

 

 

"r- really?" She exclaimed she never thought he'd admit that to her.

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… and you taught me I wasn't alone. When you showed me how hurt you were… for the first time in my life Shiki… I wasn't the "loser boy"… the tables were turned! For the first time I met someone who was opening up to ME, needing support from ME, showing me how hurt they were. It was always the opposite! For the first time in my life, when you told me how scared you were I thought…

 

 

 

 

_"All this time, she was as confused as me"_

 

 

"You, became someone important in my world. I couldn't imagine a life without you! So...do you see why you were my entry fee?… the fact that YOU were the first person to ever show me, that…I wasn't a freak, the first person to actually want to talk to me… and know who I am, and not hurt me…

 

 

 

 

Neku then hid his face in his collar again and his hands in his pockets

 

 

 

"You were my first real friend in years" he admits sadly

 

 

 

 

"I...I really am?" Shiki asked shocked "Takato was really that long ago?"

 

 

 

 

Neku then clasped is right shoulder, hiding his mouth

 

 

 

"Yeah...by the time you met me in the UG, it had been already a few years since then. That's why I told Joshua that I had never found anyone fun to hang out with, to go to Udagawa with me. It felt so long ago that l sort of began to forget about those times." Neku said hanging his head

 

"I didn't want to remember that part of my life. So as time went on, I began to think about it less and less to the point it was a distant memory. That's how you became my first real friend" he added

 

 

Shiki just looked at him in shock trying to really understand what that meant and sort of go over everything he's said to her

 

 

"He...he was hurt and betrayed by people through his entire childhood and was hurt during early middle school, spending the rest of middle school alone! Three years of feeling alone in Middle School!..it's no wonder...from childhood all the way to middle school he was alone! He was hurt! The damage had already been done" Shiki thought filled with heartache

 

 Shiki then looks at him in shock

 

 

"I can't believe it! I really impacted you?!" Shiki asks in disbelief still trying to take everything in.

 

 

 

 

He then hangs onto his right shoulder feeling vulnerable again

 

 

"Yeah, each one of you… Beat, Joshua, Rhyme and you… you all made an impact on me in a certain way… You made me… pick up on things I probably would've just gone on ignoring. I'm really glad I met you guys…"

 

 

He then pulls Shiki towards her hugging her and says softly

 

 

"thank you"

 

 

She smiles as she hugs him back and says

 

 

 

"You're welcome Neku… and don't ever forget how amazing you are… those people were just idiots who never saw that in you."


	15. A New Enemy

For a while, Mr. H and Joshua left the two friends alone, giving them some much needed space so that their energies can adjust more to the higher plane, and let Neku strengthen Shiki even more. It was a nice peaceful time, and for a while Neku forgot all about the War.

 

 

He told Shiki everything Mr. H told him including the concept of Soul, abstract matter. Energy that flows within all life, humans, animals, Noise and even Reapers. He then even teaches her to use her imagination to create things, and for a while they felt as if they were almost in the RG, like they had forgotten that they're both dead.

 

 

 

Unknown to him however is that the Demons are on stand by, they're observing Neku from their world analyzing his reaction to Demon energy. Once they're ready is when they will finally launch a full assault on the Higher Plane. Should their plan to conquer the Higher plane fail… is when Neku will play a role in their back up plan…

 

 

 

"Where are you taking me?" Shiki giggled as she held Neku's hand running with her eyes closed as he leads her to a surprise.

 

 

 

"well if I told you that then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" Neku chuckled as he responds to her. "Besides we're almost there."

 

 

 

 

Neku guides her up to the scramble crossing to reveal his surprise to her. As time "passed" thanks to the sun and moon Neku had made in the sky when he missed Shibuya it looked like it was night time.

 

 

 

 

"Alright Shiki… look" Neku announces to her

 

 

 

 

She then opens her eyes to see a glass sculpture of Mr. Mew in a fighting pose with Shiki riding his back the way she did in her second fusion with Neku. He was very detailed to the point he made her hair fly back to look as if she was flying as she held on to her piggy.

 

 

 

 

 

"Whoa!" she says gazing at the amount of detail. The full moon in the city began to make the statue sparkle.

 

 

 

 

"Neku…. You really made this by thinking about it?" She asks amazed

 

 

 

 

Neku awkwardly scratches his head

 

 

 

 

"well…. Yeah, heh heh it's not that hard you just have to think about what you want, and then it becomes real." he says smiling.

 

 

 

 

He then notices it's night time.

 

 

 

 

"um… Shiki?" Neku says

 

 

 

 

"Yeah Neku?" she replies

 

 

 

 

 

"Well… um it's late and uh… you should get some sleep… you know? That would suck if you were really tired to the point we couldn't hang out" Neku says scratching his head

 

 

 

 

"But Neku… um aren't we dead?" She asked confused

 

 

 

 

"well yeah…Mr. H said Fledgling is just a nickname for a newborn soul...that we're just our mind and soul...we're ghosts."

 

 

 

 

 

He scratched his neck again

 

 

 

 

 

"So do we really still need sleep?" she asks

 

 

 

 

"w-well I dunno! I'm still getting used to this" Neku replies feeling embarrassed. Crossing his arms

 

 

 

Shiki giggles.

 

 

 

 

 

"Well if we're gonna go to sleep don't you think we'd need a bed or something?" she asks him

 

 

 

 

 

"AW SNAP!" Neku thought as soon he connected what she said

 

 

 

 

"SHIKI! I'D HAVE TO MAKE TWO BEDS! ONE FOR YOU AND ME!" Neku screeched

 

 

 

 

Huh? No, you wouldn't. Why would we need more than…Oh …NEKU!!!!" Shiki yelled embarrassed 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then began to blush and wave her hands awkwardly like the way she used to in the UG.

 

 

 

 

"You… you think _that_ would happen?!" she screeched as Mr. mew facepalmed

 

 

 

 

Neku kept scratching his neck feeling even more awkward.

 

 

 

 

"W-well it's just that um… you…you're a girl…and I'm a…guy so uh…when, when a guy and a girl…um when they lay next to each other....then...you know"

 

 

 

Neku then hid his face feeling embarrassed

 

 

 

 

Shiki's eyes widened and she gasped

 

 

 

 

"N-NEKUUUU! I know you wouldn't do anything!" Shiki yelled just as embarrassed

 

 

 

 

"N-Not on purpose! But if what if there's an ACCIDENT! What if I do something without meaning to and…Um… uh DAMMIT! You know what I mean! When a guy is with a girl they get… when they like girls" Neku cried in his "shocked" pose

 

 

 

 

"Neku.." Shiki exclaims

 

 

 

 

"huh?" he replies

 

 

 

"shut up" she says with a giggle

 

 

 

 

"Oh.. Okay" Neku then yet again awkwardly scratches his neck

 

 

Shiki then sighs

 

 

"maybe  _this_ is why our parents and our school doesn't really tell us about that stuff. It's...ugh! it's just too awkward you know?!"

 

 

Neku then hides his face in his collar and hands in his pockets

 

 

"Yeah...tell me about it." he said feeling shy

 

 

 

"so where are you gonna sleep?" he asked

 

 

 

 

"I'll go and sleep on one of the crosswalks of the scramble crossing WAAAAAY over here away from you." Mr. Mew then does a pointing gesture towards the crosswalk near the section to Hachiko.

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh well good… um I guess then I'll sleep over by the crosswalk that leads to the Shibu Q district." He shrugged

 

 

 

 

She then giggled and says "Good night Neku"

 

 

 

 

He then chuckled and replied "good night"

 

 

 

 

They both new deep down they didn't need to sleep but they just sort of wanted to, to feel human.

 

 

 

She then wakes up to hearing something she had never heard before… Neku had woken up early and did one of the things he always wanted to when he was alive, play piano.

 

 

But due to how just trying to afford an apartment, let alone an actual house is extremely expensive in Shibuya, He thought he'd never be able to afford music lessons, on top of that he never had the time to teach himself being so bombarded with school.

 

 

 

 

Shiki heard Neku for the first time ever play piano, specifically a Grand Piano, and sing with his song starting with the intro then the first verse.

 

 

_(verse 1)_  
_Nothing ever seems to be the same, tried to cling to the past, and deny change_

_seems everything just has no consistency,_

_like this world lives and breathes without me_

_(_ pre chorus _)_  
_But just know that I'll try to deal,_

_just know I've tried to heal, from this pain..._

_yet it always stayed the same but_

_(Chorus)_  
_don't worry about me, no. Don't worry about me_

_don't think that I'll be alone, suffering here on my own_

_So don't worry about me, no don't worry about me_

_Shiki then gets up and watches Neku very quietly so he doesn't hear her._

_(verse 2)_  
_Nothing will go back to my world before, don't know if I can take this_ anymore

_ghosts of the past, keep tightening its grip, and I'm constrained_

_filled with hate for it..._

_So let this fire cool down, let the pain flow now_

_(Chorus 2)_  
_So don't worry about me, no. don't worry about me_

_don't think I'll be alone, don't think that I'll suffer from this heart_

_cause as the dust seems to clear, it seems the world's got a new start_

_So don't worry about me, no don't worry about me_

_(bridge)_

_Can you even see? and what's happened to me? do you even know at all?_

_Open up your horizons, and look beyond_

_For all these times, we have to brace our storms, just know I'll never leave you_

_You're right there beside me, right here for me, tried to cast you out, but you_

_showed why you should remain_

_help us understand and break through our own eyes_

 

 

 

_(_ Pre chorus _2)_

_But just know that I'll try to deal,_

_just know I've tried to heal, from this pain..._

_yet it always stayed the same but_

 

 

 

 _(Chorus 3)_  
_So don't worry about me, no. don't worry about me_

_don't think I'll be alone, don't think that I'll suffer from this heart_

_cause as the dust seems to clear, it seems the world's got a new start_

_So don't worry about me, no don't worry about me_

_So don't worry about me, cause now my wounds are healed_

 

 

 

 

 _(outro)_  
_Don't need to carry all your hate_

_Don't need to carry all your shame_

_So wipe your tears as you walk away_

_Cause I'll be okay_

_So don't worry about me no, don't worry about me_

_cause through our pain and scars, you see what you were missing_

 

 

 

 

He then plays the piano outro to the song and looked up and opened his eyes and hears a soft giggle, which makes him looked behind him.

 

 

 

 

"Neku… you sing so beautifully …Did you really write that?" she says smiling hugging Mr. Mew

 

 

 

 

Neku awkwardly scratches his neck

 

 

 

 

"thanks… heh, heh, that's the first time anyone's heard me sing, and yeah I did" He admits blushing.

 

 

 

 

Shiki chuckles and says "well, you have a great voice Neku, you should use it more, and definitely write more songs. … and what's up with the clothes?"

 

 

 

"huh?" Neku asks confused

 

 

 

 

She sees Neku no longer in his favorite clothes, but in something more sophisticated.

 

 

He wore a grayish black tuxedo with thin white strips going down the coat and pants and had a red shirt with the collar folded down and a black tie tucked underneath. He also had black shoes that had a little heel to them that matched his fancy style.

 

 

 

 

"Oh this?" Neku exclaims looking at his sleeves

 

 

 

 

 

"well you see Shiki, the Piano, especially a Grand Piano, is considered to be a very sophisticated instrument. It's soft and delicate sounding yet, it can be dark and intense as well depending on how it's played. So… I figured since I'm playing an instrument with such grace, I should look the part too right? For some reason, it seems to be a tradition of sorts, that people dress fancy when playing the grand piano"

 

 

 

 

She then just smiled and giggled saying

 

 

 

 

"Neku, it's good to see you're still you."

 

 

 

 

"huh?" Neku looks at her confused

 

 

 

 

"that you still love music" She replies

 

 

 

 

This then causes Neku to scratch his head again

 

 

 

 

"thanks" he says shyly. Snapping his fingers and returning to his usual clothes

 

 

 

The two teens than walk around Shibuya taking in the otherworldly feel it had to it.

 

 

 

They then started to walk to Udagawa with Neku reassuring Shiki that he can handle going there now. But as soon as they were heading towards the CAT tag mural, Neku felt a presence…A presence that terrified him.

 

 

 

 

It was a demon who's energy is the equivalent of the  Composer ranking, but the demon version is automatically stronger, and just like when he felt Composer's presence in the RG, this demon made Neku scream in pain from his head pounding. Shiki, being a Spirit-born only not that long ago can't feel energy as well as Neku yet.

 

 

 

 

"NEKU!" she exclaims worried "What's going on?!"

 

 

 

 

Neku squeezes his hair clenching his teeth.

 

 

 

 

"Ngh! I feel…. Something…. Shiki I… think it's a Demon. And it's …ngh.. Really strong" he says weakly.

 

 

 

 

Neku suddenly feels an intense amount of pressure like something is pushing him down, causing his body to tremble and fall to his knees.

 

 

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki screams again "come on, we have to go!" as she tries to lift up Neku pulling at his shoulders

 

 

 

 

"GO SHIKI! Run, you gotta… get...out of here!" Neku says panting from the pain "please…ngh …r-run!"

 

 

 

"What?! Neku, I can't leave you like this!" She cried refusing to leave her friend hurt.

 

 

 

 

"N-no time… to argue!" Neku barley bringing himself to say

 

 

 

 

He then looks towards her and holds his hand out thinking "go… fly away"

 

 

 

 

Then Shiki is pushed by a gust of wind away from him.

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku!" shiki yells

 

 

 

 

Suddenly the demon appeared but as a human. Neku then remembers what Mr. H told him about powerful demons. How just like the Composer and Angels, they can create a human form too.

 

 

 

 

 

She looked elegant. She had an hourglass figure, pale skin, platinum blonde hair and bright red eyes. She wore a tight black dress showing off her figure and high heels (that had a very small heel to it, about two inches off the ground) and looked about 17 years old.

 

 

 

Neku then manages to open his left eye and look at her 

 

 

 

"huh? is that...no way, it can't be her. This girl, she does look a lot like her. That girl that Beat would nickname the Iron Maiden, the third Game Master. Wasn't her name Konishi?" Neku thought confused

 

 

 

She then looks at Neku sweetly and says "hello there. What seems to be bothering you?"

 

 

 

 

Shiki stared in horror, although she doesn't know about advanced demons she knew something felt wrong.

 

 

 

 

"Ngh!… S-shut up! I know you're a Demon… ngh! …You… you're here for… my energy right?" Neku exclaims still trembling

 

 

 

 

"Very smart Neku Sakuraba. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm known as Clarissa… my real name however is Kiyuki" she says with a smile.

 

 

 

 

she then circles Neku trapping him in a black circle of fire. A barrier used by advanced demons to overwhelm Fledglings with their energy and prevent them from escaping or even moving. Shiki then felt the presence of the fire and began to feel nauseous.

 

 

 

 

"Ngh!… h-how do you… know my name? Can you …sense my …energy even now?" he says as he's in pain

 

 

 

 

"Very intelligent I see. that's correct Neku" she then snaps her fingers revealing her true form causing the fire to dance wildly, revealing gray skin with slashes, snow white hair, and red-eyed with no pupils, and make Neku scream in pain and pant again.

 

 

 

 

 

This also causes shiki to be so overwhelmed the presence of a Demon that she faints. Neku manages to look at her through his right eye, and began to flinch unaware that her demon energy was amplifying his nervousness.

 

 

 

 

She sighs and says "Such a Fledgling" She then snaps her fingers and goes back to her human form lessening her power a little.

 

 

 

 

"there that's better right?" she asks still sounding calm and kind.

 

 

Clarissa then pauses for a moment, smiling at Neku's tired expression

 

 

"Why? Why can't I do anything? I feel so stiff, it's like I'm stuck! I...I can't move!" Neku thought confused

 

 

She then walks up to Neku, making the Demon energy amplify Neku's nervousness to complete fear and helplessness, causing him to widen his eyes afraid and lays her head on his right shoulder stroking her fingers through his fiery hair gently tugging on strands of it

 

 

"Mmmm you're hair's so soft Neku." she says right by his ear. making Neku feel anxious

 

 

 

 

She then slowly slides her fingers down from his head to his right shoulder, the same one he was shot at, and applied pressure, causing him to cringe.

 

 

 

 

She then lifted her head and looked at him in the eyes and brushed her fingers against his cheek, seeing his eyes water, she then leans in close to him and pulls down his funnel collar to kiss his neck.

 

 

 

 

 

At this point Neku was terrified and he began to breathe choppily

 

 

 

 

"What… what is she DOING?!" Neku thought with horror. "Why is she…doing this to me?! I still can't move!! There's nothing I can do!"

 

 

 

 

 

"What's wrong Neku?" she asks sweetly "You look so frightened… maybe this will help…" she then pulls Neku by his funnel collar towards her face and kisses him on the lips. While doing so she sent demon energy from her mouth to his and electrocuted his body. It made him squint from the pain and eventually opening them wide-eyed, unleashing a muffled scream.

 

 

 

 

When she let go she saw how he looked weak with his eyes halfway open.

 

 

 

 

"Why Neku, you looked so nervous, if I didn't know any better I'd say you've never been kissed by a girl before."

 

 

 

"I… I have..n't" he says weakly

 

 

 

 

She then gets inches from his face causing them to widen with fear again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"that's quite a shame there. Well then I'm glad I was your first." She says once again in a kind gentle tone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku wanted to run but he couldn't he was paralyzed by her energy. A side effect from the barrier. She then picked up Neku by his shirt's collar raising him into the air electrocuting him with demon energy again, making him scream in pain to the point of crying again. causing his energy to become visible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It's almost there… his energy is starting to surge like lightning" Clarissa thought.

 

 

 

 

 

As Neku screams in pain Joshua and Mr. H watch from their district

 

 

 

 

 

"Come on Phones, you can get yourself out of this. You just gotta use what I taught you." Mr. H thought as he watched this feeling concerned

 

 

 

 

 

"Joshua, he's still not a hundred percent ready to take on demons, he hasn't even gone through a Soul Surge for the first time. You know he'll need that"

 

 

 

 

Mr. H tells Joshua

 

 

 

 

"Yes, I know… it's because of this I'll let you get involved Sanae if it gets too out of hand. but for now, we need to see if he can even use the attack you taught him. that way we at least know how strong he is." Joshua says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

"C-come ON! I need to use the attack, if I don't then… damn it there's no way I'm giving him bragging rights on saving me a fourth time…. I have to.. Use it" Neku thought

 

 

 

 

Neku then remembers what Mr. H taught him after he told Neku about Demons and Soul Obstruction.

 

 

 

 

_"alright Phones, what I'm gonna show you is very advanced, but you've already proven how strong your Soul is by surviving your first Demon encounter. If any other Spirit went through what you did, they would've Faded MUCH sooner than as long as you lasted." Mr. H exclaims_

 

 

 

_"I'm… really that strong?" Neku asks in disbelief_

 

 

 

_"Yeah, you are. For spirits without high levels of imagination, it's instant death." Mr. H replies_

 

 

 

_"what I'm going to teach you now is how to focus your energy to the point it's visible however, it has such control and power packed into it that you can use it to attack demons. But you need to be careful, this is an Angel technique. Something Fledglings are usually never taught." he says with a serious tone_

 

 

 

_This is because for human souls, this attack can be risky. Should you not have enough control over how much you release, you can drain yourself of energy… and you know what that means…" Mr. H warns him_

 

 

 

_Feeling nervous Neku hides his face_

 

 

 

_"y-yeah… you sure I can really handle this?" Neku asks feeling a little nervous_

 

 

 

_"ha, ha, of course Phones. I wouldn't teach you something that I was afraid would overwhelm you." Mr. H says smiling at Neku_

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Hearing the kind words of his Guardian friend, made Neku then look up at Mr. H and smile, feeling better._

 

 

 

 

 

_"heh, heh alright, I'm ready" Neku says ready to know the lesson_

 

 

 

_"Okay Phones, so what you gotta do is…" Mr. H says_

 

 

 

 

 

"Focus…" Neku says in his head as he extends his hands out to Clarissa while she chokes him

 

 

 

 

"Focus your energy into your hands."

 

 

 

 

As Neku begins to concentrate his energy stabilizes (but the energy was still visible, making him still at risk) reducing the impact of the demon energy to that of a stinging sensation.

 

 

 

 

 

"What? how is a spirit as weak as him doing this?!" She thinks looking in shock

 

 

 

 

 

Suddenly energy begins to engulf Neku's hands in colored in darkblue with different shades and tints of the color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Concentrate and give it form" He thinks in his head

 

 

 

 

Then suddenly they turn into white orbs outlined in blue.

 

 

 

 

"then release them" Neku thinks

 

 

 

 

He then suddenly launches the orbs and Clarissa sending her flying crashing over and over into the glass floor of Shibuya causing fragments to appear. And also causes the barrier to disappear.

 

 

 

 

The blast then also recoils Neku away from her causing him to roll onto the ground as well.

 

 

 

 

"I'll make sure you suffer for this" the demon snarled with cut marks on her from the glass

 

 

 

 

She then soars towards Neku charging the black lightning again.

 

 

 

Neku then charges up the attack again preparing to use it as a long-range attack but before he could fully charge it, she teleports right up to Neku and does a two hit combo of punching him in the stomach (making him puke orbs of his energy and just a little blood, and lean forward clenching his stomach from the impact)

 

 

 

 

and she then punches him at the right of his face with such power amped up from charging demon energy that it launches Neku in the air crashing to the ground rolling again as he makes impact. He also had cut marks too from cutting himself against the glass floor. Which caused his energy to start to crackle

 

 

 

 

 

At this point Neku was in so much pain, both from the demon energy from earlier, and the attacks that were just now inflicted upon him that all he could to was curl up into a ball laying on his right side wheezing from the pain,and watch his energy start to break. As the demon crept closer and closer at a slow pace, savoring his suffering, smiling.

 

 

 

 

 

"Damn it…" he thought with his eyes half way open "I'm …I'm good as gone… I...can't do anything. this …is about all I've got"

 

 

 

 

Desperate to not pass out, Neku then thought some more about his confusion

 

 

 

 

 

"It doesn't make …any sense… I'm dead… right? I don't have… a heartbeat… but I still feel heartache… I… don't have skin… but I can feel… I...don't have bones, but it feels like she broke one of my ribs… I don't have blood… but I just puked up some… Is this all… in my.. Head? I …Just...--

 

 

 

 

Overwhelmed with fatigue, Neku then began to drift into unconsciousness.

 

 

 

 

"NO!" he thought trying to cling to his mind "Stay awake …try the attack one last time"

 

 

 

 

 

As weak and as broken as he felt, Neku manages to raise his right arm. But he was so weak that it trembled as he desperately tried to build energy in his hand, but all he could do was generate dark blue sparks.

 

 

 

 

 

"no… it's all over. That demon, she'll kill me and what if...she...goes...after Shiki...and..." he then finally drifts unconscious, the last thing he saw was the demon almost right in front of him walking towards him, smiling… Suddenly another presence hits Neku causing him to open his eyes.

 

 

 

 

"Now what's all the fuss about?" the voice said

 

 

 

 

"ngh… Mr. …H?" Neku exclaims weakly barely beyond a whisper

 

 

 

 

"Hey there Phones! Glad to see you're awake." he replies

 

 

 

 

The mere presence of him caused Neku to feel a little bit better, giving him the strength to a lay on his knees instead of curled up against the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

He tries to get up, but that just resulted him in sitting in the same position he was in before being shot. Regardless of how he was still hurt, he was starting to feel better.

 

 

 

 

In addition to this, his all of his energy returned into him, like just being in his presence helps him heal now that his soul's gotten a bit stronger.

 

 

 

 

Mr. H stood in a laid back kind of pose with his hands in his pockets, but his Angel wings were spread out shielding Neku.

 

 

 

 

"So who are you, young lady? I, as you can see, am an Angel. Sanae's the name. Sanae Hanekoma, but just call me Mr. H."

 

 

 

 

he says laid back as if he wasn't talking to a demon.

 

 

 

 

"Ah, and a Guardian Angel I see, why else would you come to the aid of this little Fledgling? now then, I'll introduce myself. I'm Clarissa."

 

 

 

 

"A _fallen_ Guardian Angel, but yes… now, are you aware that you violated the most important rules of our treaty?"

 

 

 

"Fallen Guardian Angel?" Neku thinks

 

 

 

"Hm? no I haven't. I was merely hunting a Fledgling…however… that technique...I can see that he's no ordinary Fledgling. A newly born spirit shouldn't be able to use that attack" she says with a crooked smile

 

 

 

 

 

"This boy is no mere Fledgling, young lady… This boy is the Composer of Shibuya's Proxy. He was chosen to fight in the Composer's place due to his high levels of Imagination, and the treaty clearly states that no demon may kill or attempt to kill a human soul with High Imagination levels." Mr. H says sternly

 

 

"He's someone chosen to be the pawn of a God of Death? How interesting. Well, that's unfortunate… I guess then War will be upon us soon. So… I guess I'll go relax now...Got things to do Sanae…" she then smiles at him again and says

 

 

 

"Besides, my plan's already starting to take effect." Clarissa says with a crooked smile

 

 

"What are you trying to do?" Mr. H said sternly

 

 

"Well, I hate Angels for all the things your kind has done to spirits. Something I'm sure you're aware of Sanae. I never meant to break the treaty, but this was bound to happen sooner or later. As a result, that's why I want to do what I think is right and what will help _my kind_ " the female demon says slyly

 

 

She then turns her head towards Neku, someone she's begun to feel intrigued by

 

"And… Neku… be a good little boy and try not to Fade hm?"

 

 

The mere mentioning of his name from her made Neku look down

 

 

She then opens a portal that's red and fades to black on the inside and walks in it vanishing. 

 

 

Mr. H waits for the portal to completely disappear before settling his wings and eventually making them vanish.

 

 

 

"You okay there sport?" He asks Neku

 

 

  

"Y-yeah… it's still kinda hard to move." Neku says weakly

 

 

 

Mr. H then places his hand on Neku's shoulder healing him of all physical wounds. However… now that more demon energy is flowing in him it had an effect once Neku got to his feet.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ngh!" he grunted as he felt a sharp pain in his back.

 

 

 

 

He was about to collapse leaning forward but caught himself, squeezing his right arm using it like a crutch, the same way he use to when overwhelmed by Noise, while panting out of breath a little.

 

 

 

 

At the very moment he did this however, he felt someone hold his shoulders as if trying to steady him. He then opens his eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

"Shiki…" he says weakly.

 

 

 

 

 

"what happened to you?" she asks concerned about his condition

 

 

 

 

"I… I just fought another demon.. That's all" He replies

 

 

 

 

Shiki then hugs him saying "I'm glad you made it out of it. You had me so worried!"

 

 

 

 

The very moment she does this she nullifies the energy again.

 

 

 

 

"thanks Shiki… I feel a lot better now." Neku tells her

 

 

 

 

"Interesting…" Mr. H thinks. " I just healed Phones, the Demon energy reacted to it by hurting him again, but when the young lady… er…. Shiki hugged him, he felt better"

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh, who would've thought this girl's energy exceeds my healing abilities…to a certain point that is. It must be because of the Pact. Now with their minds and souls free in the Higher Plane, it's making their connection even stronger. She has a connection to Neku's Soul that I don't" The Guardian thought

 

 

 

 

Neku then feels strong enough to stand on his own, removing Shiki's hands from his shoulders.

 

 

 

 

"Thanks Mr. Hanekoma… if you hadn't come when you did...I..." Neku says hiding his face

 

 

 

 

"Hey don't mention it. I just couldn't stand there and watch you get hurt, right?" Mr. H says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh heh, yeah" Neku responds.

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright you two get some rest, and when you're ready, call out to me. I'm gonna teach you kids something really cool." He says chuckling.

 

 

 

 

"See ya later" Mr. H says as he transforms into a ball of light flying to the Composer Domain.


	16. Soul Surge

Neku and Shiki walk back to the scramble crossing when he notices that Shiki seems sad. She was nearly silent the whole walk back from Udagawa. She saw images in her head, like when she saw him unleash Demon energy for the first time. How monstrous he became, and how what she saw just now… Neku feeling so weak that he almost collapsed on her.

 

 

 

 

"Why?" Shiki thought "Why does this always happen to him?! The Reapers' Game was bad enough. He had close calls fighting the Noise and Game Masters especially, in addition to him almost dying twice. He went through so much…"

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then recalls what he told her about the second and third week

 

 

 

 

"Joshua, you… you taught Neku that it's okay to open up to people… I can see that you did"

 

 

 

 

_Only by letting strangers in, can we find new ways to be ourselves_

 

 

 

_Understanding people isn't just hard Neku, it's impossible…_

 

 

 

_But Neku, I thought you couldn't afford to lose. Give up on yourself… and you give up on the world._

 

 

 

 

 

"You protected him from that Rhino Taboo Noise, you protected him from an attack that would've killed him.. The level I Flare… and you betrayed him… you froze me and Beat in place forcing us to watch you hurt him to the point he cried. He said he thought that he finally found a friend he could relate to. …and you shot him… and yet, you brought us back to life"

 

 

 

 

 

"why… why do all these bad things have to happen to him? He even saw other players die in front of him… Sota and Nao, the two players that reached out to him… and told him to not feel guilty about dragging me back into the game… He almost dies as the last player in the third week"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"WHY?!" at this point she was squeezing Mr. Mew as she walked with him in her arms

 

 

 

 

"Neku's been hurt by so many people, and _now_ he was so beaten up by that demon that he almost passed out." she then squeezed Mr. Mew even harder

 

 

 

 

Neku then noticed how hurt she looked

 

 

 

"Hm? Shiki… is something up?" He asks concerned

 

 

 

 

"huh?" she remarks shocked from being so wrapped in her thoughts.

 

 

 

 

"You looked like you were about to cry just now. What's wrong?"

 

 

 

 

 

He then stops walking and she does the same.

 

 

 

 

 

"It's just… I hate seeing you so hurt Neku!" shiki screams

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?" he exclaims

 

 

 

 

"How people keep trying to hurt you, from messing with your head or beating you up! How I'm not strong enough to help you like I was in the UG! I-I just want to have our old life back, just hanging out together, you know?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then hides his face

 

 

 

 

 

"Shiki…You've always helped me out. When I feel like crap, I think about when we were alive" he says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

"You know that's not what I meant Neku" she says lowering her head

 

 

 

 

 

"I meant fighting alongside you, how we used to protect each other! Standing side by side in the UG fighting the Noise. But now I can't do anything! I still don't know how Mr. Mew became a panther when I first came here… I don't want to feel powerless Neku! I don't want to feel like I can't do anything. Mr. H told me what happened to you in my mind when we started walking back. He told me about the war, why the demons are hunting you, targeting you…and I can't do anything to stop it!"

 

 

 

 

she then lowers her head to the point it's almost completely hidden by her piggy's head.

 

 

 

 

Neku then places his hand on her right shoulder

 

 

 

 

 

 

"heh heh, you really think I'm this amazing guy don't you?"

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then gave her that smug little smile he used to when he'd place one hand on his hip.

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?" she exclaims

 

 

 

 

"You make it sound like I've got this all figured out, that I can handle fighting monsters that are really strong, way stronger than any Reaper or Noise, to the point they almost completely kicked my ass… twice. As in, I've almost lost my life to them...those Demons. The truth is, I don't really know what I'm doing either. Hell if it wasn't for Joshua and Mr. H I wouldn't even be here right now Shiki."

 

 

 

 

"What? You really mean that Neku?" She roared in shock

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah… when I first came here, I faced a Demon that almost drained all of my energy out of me… I almost died but then Joshua saved me from that demon" Neku responds hiding his face …. Then cheers up a little.

 

 

 

 

"So you're really gonna say that I'm this guy that is so strong that I can handle anything?! SCREW THAT! Heh, I'm just crashing my way through this too, the only difference is that I've been training with Mr. H on how to tap into my imagination Shiki… that's it. We'll get through this somehow. so don't worry."

 

 

 

 

He then nudged her in the arm

 

 

 

 

"heh, thanks Neku" Shiki says sweetly smiling at him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He then can't help but smile back at her when he sees Shiki so happy.

 

 

 

 

 

"So you ready for some more training Shiki?" He asks happily

 

 

 

 

 

"heh heh Sure!" she says giggling

 

 

 

 

"Alright, I'll teach you how to tap into your mind again…Remember how we used to use Player Pins? How we'd focus our thoughts and energy into it?" Neku asks

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah! You'd then toss the pin in the air, catch it and then place your hands on your head and the moment you caught it, it'd unleash its psych" She says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

Neku than awkwardly scratches his head

 

 

 

 

 

"Did it really look that cool?" he asked

 

 

 

 

"yeah" she responds

 

 

 

 

"Heh, sweet…. But anyway… back on topic. Just focus your mind on something Shiki, like how you focus on your piggy for him to move."

 

 

 

 

 

"Okay" she says and then takes a deep breath

 

 

 

 

 

"Focus…" She told herself. She extends her hands outward allowing Mr. Mew to become alive and jump down to the glass road.

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki than began imagining clothes she's always wanted to make for Neku, but never had the time to make.

 

 

 

 

"heh, she's really doing it" Neku thought "Huh? Hey that looks a lot like…"

 

 

 

 

 

As Neku watched what Shiki was creating he then smiled seeing how well she knows his taste.

 

 

 

 

 

She made a thick dark gray vest with a zipper going down the middle, with a small collar, and a long sleeved shirt that's colored indigo with thin yellow stripes outlining where the bottom sleeve cuff would wrap around his hands.

 

 

As for pants, they were basically like Neku's baggy white shorts, but as long, white, baggy pants

 

 

 

 

 

 

She then finally opens her eyes and lets it fall to her hands.

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh heh, so… you like it?" She asks smiling

 

 

 

 

"heh, you kidding? You made an outfit based off of my favorite clothes, that's pretty cool Shiki!" he says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

He then walks over to her to take it from her as she holds it out to him, and tried it on, but then made the pants instantly teleport on, so wouldn't have to worry about changing in front of her.

 

 

 

 

"so… how's it look?" He asks

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki smiled nodding in approval, "heh, it fits just like a glove Neku."

 

 

 

 

"Um, Shiki there's just one thing I gotta ask you, is there a certain reason why the collar on this one goes up to my nose, like a ninja mask?" He asks curiously

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, I had this idea for when it gets chilly in Shibuya, so I didn't want you to inhale the cold air Neku, since...you know, that could get you sick." she admits blushing a little

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, thanks Shiki, and… it feels so warm on the inside, almost like wool, same goes for the pants too, making me warm." He exclaims to her

 

 

 

 

"You like it? I used a certain cloth that mimics the feeling of wool" She says smiling

 

 

 

 

he then smiled and then says "Thanks Shiki…."

 

 

 

 

She giggles and says "don't mention it"

 

 

 

 

"So you ready to train with Mr. H?" Neku asks

 

 

 

 

"Yeah." She responds

 

 

 

 

"Alright I'll let him know" he says

 

 

 

 

"Open up, your senses" Neku exclaims as he begins to concentrate

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H? Can you hear me? We're all set now" he thinks in his head

 

 

 

 

 

"Hey pretty good Phones! So you figured out telepathy huh?" Mr. H says amused

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah! …Like just now… I had no idea if you were really gonna hear me" Neku responds mentally

 

 

 

 

"Oh… well still, good job" Mr. H says chuckling.

 

 

 

"I'll teleport ya to me so get ready" Mr. H announces

 

 

 

 

"alright, see ya soon" Neku thinks

 

 

 

 

"Sooooo did it work Neku?" Shiki asks

 

 

 

 

"yeah I contacted Mr. H, and he says he's gonna teleport us to him." Neku says smiling.

 

 

 

 

Hanging out with Mr. H like this, the man he respects to much, he just can't help but smile at the thought of it.

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then hold hands and close their eyes, Mr. Mew then leaps onto Shiki's shoulders

 

 

 

 

When they open their eyes they see Mr. H smiling at them in his human form, and find themselves in a realm composed of glass and clouds. Glass was the ground and white clouds completely engulfing the sky to the point all Neku and Shiki could see was the contrast of light and shadow of the clouds in the sky until no shade of blue was left.

 

 

 

 

They also saw little orbs of white outlined in different colors soaring across the sky due to how this dimension is where fledglings tend to go to gain more mastery over their Enlighten forms and unleash energy freely.

 

 

 

 

"Heh, welcome to the Enlighten's District guys. This is a special realm due to how unlike the other districts, Enlightens, Fledglings and Angels can all hang out here. It's because of this, this is the dimension Fledglings go to learn how to activate a Soul Surge. Mr. H explains

 

 

 

 

 

"Soul Surge?" Neku asks

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, it's basically the Higher Plane version of a fusion attack" Mr. says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then look at each other smiling

 

 

 

 

"ha ha, I knew you two would dig the idea." Mr. H chuckled

 

 

 

 

 

"So how do we activate it Mr. H? It's not like he can just focus our thoughts on a Pin to activate something anymore" Shiki exclaims confused

 

 

 

 

"true" Mr. H exclaims "But do you two still remember how you fought Noise with the Light Puck?"

 

 

 

"Oh yeah! Neku and I would be in different combat zones and even though we couldn't see each other, there was the Light Puck, the energy being generated between us as we fight focusing on each other." Shiki exclaims

 

 

 

 

"Exactly so you gotta to the same thing, but with each others energy, not relying on an energy generated through fighting and thinking about that person. That is where this gets tricky. It's like juggling two little balls…"

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then summons Angel fire (fire that is even hotter then blue fire, being white while outlined in grey) and then converts it into two balls, and starts to juggle them.

 

 

 

 

"You see here, juggling takes a lot of precision. If I move one of the balls too fast I won't be able to catch the other ball in time, causing me to then lose the flow I had of tossing the balls in sync." He explains as he juggled his fire.

 

 

 

 

"Now what you two gotta do is this but on the inside. Allow your energy to flow into each other, the way you two use to when you did fusions." Mr. H added

 

 

 

 

"Huh?!" Neku exclaims confused. "But… Mr. H I thought I was just attacking alongside my partner"

 

 

 

Mr. H then smiled as he lets his arms down, making the fire ball fall down and dissolve

 

 

 

 

"heh well, you were, but there's more to it Phones." Mr. H replied

 

 

 

 

 

"Ya wanna know I why I _really_ gave you the Harmonizer Pin? It was to make you strong Phones. All the pain and hurtful moments you went through back then made your Mind and Soul very unstable." The Angel explained 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It was extremely powerful even back then, but it was more out of control you see. This is also why you sought isolation back then Phones. You were hurt by your surroundings to the point you thought it was the only way to keep you safe from being hurt from the world." He said sternly

 

 

 

 

 

"So… you gave me that pin, to help me… to heal my Mind and Soul from being hurt?" Neku asks hiding his face with this hands in his pockets, remembering how broken he felt back then.

 

 

 

 

"heh, yeah and it worked didn't it?" Mr. H says with a smile

 

 

 

 

Neku then lifts his head up smiling and says

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… it really did…Mr. H, you've helped me out so much…. And yet, I feel like I don't really know you that well, so why? …How come you like helping me?" Neku asks a little confused

 

 

 

 

"Heh, well I'm a Guardian Angel, Phones. Meaning it's my job to help out Spirits and sometimes even humans that need it. Plus in addition to that… I just really like seeing people happy." he says with a chuckle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"CAT" Neku thinks "So that's why you started your graffiti art? To make people happy? Heh, you never cease to amaze me Mr. H… you don't see it but, your art saved my life. It made me want to live happily, and never give up who I am. You taught me the importance of Individualism"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So…" Mr. H continues "What I need you two to do is generate your energy, and practice juggling it back and forth to each other, the Angel fire orbs I made. Do this, and it'll help you understand the flow you gotta build up inside of ya." Mr. H says smiling

 

 

 

 

Shiki giggled "heh, okay so… you ready Neku?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah" he says. He generated his energy into two little orbs.

 

 

 

 

Although Shiki would've otherwise struggled with this alone, with Neku she was able to generate orbs of her energy too, and so the two teens began to pass their energy back and forth. Occasionally laughing as they mess up and almost hit each other in the face as they try to juggle energy.

 

 

 

 

Joshua eventually joins Mr. H from afar to monitor his Proxy. In his human form of course.

 

 

 

 

"So… How's he doing Mr. H?" Joshua asks

 

 

 

 

"heh, heh he's doing really well, now that Shiki's with him. The Demonic energy is barely even detectable when he's with her" Mr. H reported happily

 

 

 

 

 

His face then grew serious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"But at the same time, you also saw how violent Phones became when just a small portion of the energy leaked out of him.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah yes, getting demon punched in the face isn't very pleasant" Joshua says crossing his arms

 

 

 

 

"And now…That Demon lady poured even more energy into him." Joshua's Angel added

 

 

 

 

Mr. H continues

 

 

 

 

 

 

"She said she had plans and that they were already taking effect. She also seemed quite intrigued by the fact that he's a Higher Mind and also advised Neku to not Fade… aka face Soul Obstruction." Mr. H says grimly

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmmm, now why would a Demon want a Fledgling to live? Why would she want Neku to live so badly?" Joshua says thoughtfully placing his hand over his chin

 

 

 

 

"you think her plan involves Neku somehow boss?" Mr. H exclaims concerned

 

 

 

 

"Possibly, but for now Mr. H try to keep Neku with Shiki at all times. The demon energy is already flowing much more strongly inside him. If Neku becomes too angry and loses control over himself…He could risk becoming a Demon" Joshua says grimly

 

 

 

 

 

"and since he's so powerful, if they turned him against us, and used Neku to try to conquer the Higher Plane, he could bring down not just the Higher Plane, but make Spirits, Enlightens and… if he's extremely powerful as a Demon, maybe even Angels and Composers extinct." Joshua exclaims crossing his arms.

 

 

 

 

"He's just an accident waiting to happen" Joshua says seriously

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…


	17. Soul Surge (Part 2)

Neku and Shiki juggled each others energy for what felt like hours until finally they were in perfect sync. The dark blue and pink orbs flew back and forth between each other. Some Enlightens watched from far away thinking about how the two teens juggled each others energy with such ease, wondering just how strong the friendship between them really was.

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H! I think we've got it!" Neku exclaims

 

 

 

 

 

"Hey, not bad you two! You got the hang of that pretty fast" Mr. H exclaims giving them a thumbs up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You can let the orbs fall now." He instructed. Then Neku and Shiki did just that

 

 

 

 

 

 

"now for the real challenge. Doing this inside of each other, alright you two hold hands now." Mr. H says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

Neku than awkwardly scratched his head

 

 

 

 

"um… Mr. H… do we really--?" Neku exclaims

 

 

 

 

 

"well yeah, it's part of the training Phones heh. Besides she's held your hand before" Mr. H answers

 

 

 

 

 

"well yeah but… when I'm stressed out, n-not like this." Neku exclaims blushing a little causing Mr. H to laugh

 

 

 

 

"hah, don't worry Phones, it'll be fine now… go on." Mr. H grinned

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then extends his hand out to Shiki who was also blushing as they held hands. Causing some Enlightens to chuckle at the awkward moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright you guys, give 'em some space. I'm teaching them how to Soul Surge." Mr. H says acknowledging that they had an audience.

 

 

 

 

 

The Enlightens then began whispering to each other wondering if the Fledglings could pull it off and then flew away giving Mr. H some much needed privacy.

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright now close your eyes, and focus… Concentrate on getting your energy to flow in a circle."

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then took a deep breath and closed their eyes, imagining their energies flowing into each other. Suddenly the energy began to tingle them, kind of like the sensation of when a person's foot falls asleep, but all over the body.

 

 

 

 

 

The energy began to surge giving them an adrenaline rush and began to burn them, but not to the point of intense pain,

 

 

 

 

(it felt more like when some one gets a sun burn, but all over the body)

 

 

 

 

 

They then open their eyes. Neku's became completely Sky blue and Shiki's became Hot pink (resembling the way people's eyes looked when possessed by Red Skull Pins)

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then began to roar as they felt so empowered.

 

 

 

 

 

Then suddenly their transparent "skin" began to peel off of them revealing a misty like vapor beneath them. When the stinging stopped they finally looked at each other… they had became Enlightens.

 

 

 

 

 

Neku was a misty cloud like form with an almost periwinkle color, his hair was white with a blueish tint to it. His eyes had gone from blue gray to sky blue, removing all heredity from his eye color and had sky blue colored wings that resembled Reaper Wings made of glass. It then had Neku's energy outlined in dark blue in the shape of Angel wings.

 

 

 

 

 

He also suddenly had no mouth. Shiki is just like Neku's form except her body was a baby pink color with hot pink eyes instead of her usual greenish gray eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

Her hair had then become a maroon color instead of her usual brown, her wings were pink with a redish tint to it, and had light pink energy resembling Angel Wings. she had also no mouth.

 

 

 

 

Unknown to them however, is that they can speak, but telepathically and their thoughts are then heard aloud as if they are talking.

 

 

 

 

"Aw snap! Shiki, cover your eyes!" Neku screams

 

 

 

 

He notices that while within his Enlighten form, he and Shiki have no clothes.

 

 

 

 

"I...I don't want you to stare at my junk!" he exclaims covering where his parts use to be, with his eyes closed so he doesn't see Shiki's parts

 

 

 

 

"Ah! Okay!" Shiki covers her eyes unaware that she too is "naked"

 

 

 

 

 

Several Enlightens begin to chuckle. Even Joshua chuckled watching from afar

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H sighed and scratched his head

 

 

 

 

 

"Even as Enlightens, they still act human… I guess that can't be helped though. They died at a young age and it's usually harder for young spirits to let go of their life than for older ones." he thinks in his head

 

 

 

 

 

"Guys it's okay, open your eyes.. You don't have _those parts_ anymore" Mr. H says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

 

"W-What the hell?! Of course we still do Mr. H! w-we still have that RIGHT?!" Neku exclaims startled

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki adds in "Yeah! That's why we're covering ourselves up!"

 

 

 

 

"Guys, it'll be fine, just trust me" Mr. H says in his laid back tone

 

 

 

 

"Heh, if you say it's okay then...alright" Neku exclaims sincerely

 

 

 

 

 

 

feeling a little hesitant, Neku then lowers his hands to his side

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki than opens her eyes and uncovers her "parts" too to see Mr. Mew panther form face palming again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H sighed then says chuckling

 

 

 

 

 

"See? Nothing to shield your eyes from"

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki stare at each other in shock

 

 

 

 

 

"so… this is an Enlighten form?" Neku asks still feeling a little awkward

 

 

 

 

"Yes, now that you have wings--" Mr. H says getting cut off by a startled Neku

 

 

 

 

 

"Aw snap! We have wings?! But we're not Reapers! How come we have--" Neku then looks to his left and right seeing his wings and sees that he and Shiki have been hovering this whole time.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then chuckles

 

 

 

 

 

"Cause that's part of the transformation Phones, you and Shiki are beings that have similarities to us Angels, and this form is nearly as strong as a Death God...Heh, and because of this I'm gonna teach you two how to fly. A necessity in Enlighten based combat."

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki look at each other in shock, then back at him

 

 

 

 

 

"Um, Mr. H how can we talk when he don't have mouths and… why is Mr. Mew a panther again?" Shiki asks confused

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh, well like us Angels, Enlightens don't need a mouth to communicate. Instead we communicate telepathically and have our thoughts spoke aloud you see. Now as for your toy's transformation, that young lady is due to how your imagination spiked up as part of your transformation. You are right now empowering Phones, strengthening him with your energy, and his energy is doing the same to you." Mr. H explains smiling

 

 

 

 

"Oh, so that's what happened. Your energy made me stronger." She exclaims happily

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh, yeah seems that way" Neku replies with his hand on his hip .

 

 

 

 

 

"Now first off, you don't need legs anymore guys" Mr. H announces "So… go on, get rid of 'em you'll need them if you need to stand on something and since you can fly now, that will be very rare"

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki look at him confused. Neku then scratches his head awkwardly then shrugged

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright, if you say so Mr. H" Neku says

 

 

 

 

 

 

He and Shiki then close their eyes imagining not having legs, when they open their eyes they see that they now have a wispy, vapor that breaks into little pieces from their cloud like bodies

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, there you go" Mr. H exclaims releasing his wings while still in human form. He then flaps his wings and flies up to them.

 

 

 

 

 

"Now we can get started, what you want to do is imagine how a bird flaps its wings, then lean forward, and push your arms out. you know the way simmers do to gain distance. At least until flying feels more natural, then you don't need to imagine all of that" Mr. H instructed

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Mew panther form simply watched from the glassy floor waiting to see what's going to happen next.

 

 

 

 

The two teens did exactly as he instructed and suddenly found themselves flying forward.

 

 

 

 

 

"Man this is sweet!" Neku exclaimed excited

 

 

 

 

"Yeah! so cool!" Shiki says happily.

 

 

 

 

After a while they mastered the basics of flying and Mr. H taught them advanced methods of flying such as, folding the wings back to pick speed to increase the impact of an attack. He then also taught them how to unleash energy while flying.

 

 

 

 

After the lessons they learned such as, pushing their wings forward to come to a sudden stop, Mr. H then lets them return to the Fledgling realm.

 

 

 

 

Before doing this however, he warned them to not stay in Enlighten form for too long due to how this will put a strain on their body, and it can even destabilize their energy if they stay in that form for too long.

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then walk around the Higher Plane Shibuya and just discuss their amazement of what they just learned but then he felt Clarissa's presence again…

 

 

 

 

 

"Ngh! S-she's back Shiki" Neku says clenching his teeth and squeezing his hair

 

 

 

 

"Ugh! Yeah I feel her too." Shiki says weakly clenching her stomach from feeling sick

 

 

 

 

"Mr. …Mew… get.. Ready" as soon as she commands this, the toy transforms into a panther.

 

 

 

 

She then appears as black mist before them, and transforms into her human form.

 

 

 

 

"Hi Neku, you seem to be doing better… and who's this?" she says with a crooked smile

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah, Shiki Misaki" She exclaims from sensing her energy.

 

 

 

 

"h-how do you know my name?" Shiki asks clenching her teeth in pain

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Well you see, I'm a Demon Lord… Or Mistress, which the title is called for Female Demons like myself. A demon who's powers are at the highest ranks of power. In my case, I'm a Demon who's Demon Rank is our equivalent to the Composer" Clarissa responds

 

 

 

"W-WHAT?!" Shiki says terrified

 

 

 

 

"Go Mr. Mew!" she says commanding the toy

 

 

 

The panther then charges at Clarissa only to be smacked in the jaw by her hurdling towards the ground back as a toy.

 

 

 

 

"Dammit what do want with me now?!" Neku roared he then opens one of his eyes to look at her…

 

 

 

 

when they made eye contact with Clarissa's eyes he saw a vision that horrified him. It was Shiki facing Soul Obstruction.

 

 

 

 

she had white energy outlined in pink breaking into sparks, and saw himself holding Shiki in his arms crying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vision then shows her entire body began to fade into the energy as it dissolved into the air

 

 

 

 

 

 

"NOOOOO!" Neku roared "Get away from her! You want to kill her!"

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then stands in front of Shiki to shield her while in his fighting stance. At that moment, the pounding in his head was gone and his eyes turned bright red.

 

 

 

his teeth became dog like again, had the slash marks again and had black fire surrounding his body.

 

 

 

 

 

"careful Neku, you could turn into a demon." She says with a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Shut up! I don't give a damn about that, BACK OFF!" He roared at her

 

 

 

 

 

"How rude. All I wanted was to warn you about the war but fine I'll go now." Clarissa smiles and begins to walk away. In the blink of an eye she vanished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then he suddenly heard a scream he looks behind himself to see the Demon has Shiki in her arms. She held Shiki by the waist with her right arm and with her left arm had a demon claw by Shiki's neck.

 

 

 

 

Neku than roared with anger

 

 

 

 

"DON'T YOU DO ANYTHING TO HER! If you do…" Neku said growing "I'll break your neck"

 

 

 

 

"Neku…" Shiki muttered

 

 

 

 

"Oh such a menacing threat." Clarissa said teasingly "But if you come any closer I'll kill her."

 

 

 

 

Neku then began to tremble with anger. The black fire began to dance wildly feeding off of his intensifying emotions

 

 

 

 

"give… her… back" he says softly

 

 

 

 

 

"give… HER… BAAAAAACK!" Neku screams

 

 

 

 

 

In the blink of an eye he teleports himself to Clarissa's face punching her away from his friend. She then slams herself against the 104 building… Although Neku was starting to lose control, being so close to Shiki helped him remember what he was trying to do… Protect his friend. Which caused him to catch her as she fell.

 

 

 

He then gently puts her back on the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku!" she shirked "You need to stay calm okay? We need to do a soul surge."

 

 

 

 

She then places her hands on his causing his breathing to slow down and the demonic energy to neutralize. Neku than took a deep breath and sighed

 

 

 

 

"thanks Shiki" he says softly

 

 

 

 

 

Clarissa then gets up from the floor and starts to walk towards them

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then hold hands and activate the Soul Surge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she sees the Enlighten forms she just chuckles

 

 

 

 

 

"You really think you stand a chance now? That you're formidable opponents? You've barely even scratched the surface of what Soul really is!" she then soars towards them charging Demon energy

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then do the same with their energy and with Panther Mr. Mew at their side. He charges towards her swiping at her. While she dodges the panther's attacks Neku unleashes one of his orbs at her causing her to go flying back.

 

 

 

 

 

When she finally hit's the ground and starts to get up, Shiki comes in with her wings folded to pick up speed and punches Clarissa in the stomach.

 

 

 

 

 

"UGH!" she shrieked in pain.

 

 

 

she then grabs Shiki by the neck and electrocutes her with Demon energy, but not enough to be absorbed, just to shock Shiki.

 

 

 

 

 

She is then sent flying back recoiled from the shock, and reverted back to being a ghost, unconscious.

 

 

 

 

Mr. mew then hurries over to his master.

 

 

 

 

"SHIKIIII!" Neku screamed still in his Enlightened form

 

 

 

 

He then sores to her and catches her. Holding her in his arms he then begins to fly around Shibuya desperately trying to get away from the powerful demon.

 

 

 

 

 

Amused at the thought of a chase, she then begins to chase down Neku. Flying requires a lot of energy in addition to maintaining his form on his own without Shiki. Neku then on top of that began to feel fatigue from the demon energy that he unleashed a while ago. It was trying to consume him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Damn it!" Neku thought "This is bad… I can barely keep flying. But I have to! I need to get her to a safe place. There's no way in hell I'm letting that demon get to Shiki!… damn it, if I knew how to cross into other parts of the Higher Plane without Mr. H's help this would be much easier."

 

 

 

As soon as he thought about Shiki, his wings flapped harder and he began to pick up speed.

 

 

 

 

 

"Shibu Q?" Neku thought

 

 

 

 

He then flew over to the building with Clarissa on his tail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"grrrr I can't shake her!" Neku thought again

 

 

 

 

 

 

He then took a sharp turn to the left and started to fly to Hachiko… it's not much of a place to hide but if anything he could rest there.

 

 

 

 

Then suddenly she teleports right in front of Neku causing him to gasp and turns away.

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright, I'll fly around the entire city until I can find a spot to shake her! I don't care how much this hurts." He thought pushing himself

 

 

 

 

Reacting to all of the negative energy in the air, the sky grew dark and it began to rain, a thunderstorm.

 

 

 

 

 

He flew desperately trying to shake her to the point he was half Enlighten half spirit. His hair was orange, but a bit pale, the same applied to this clothes too and his eyes returned to their original color. But his body then shined with a white glow and still had the Enlighten wings… Neku was at his limit, he was panting, he had had enough…

 

 

 

 

 

"Ne…ku" Shiki says weakly

 

 

 

 

 

"Shhh" Neku says quietly

 

 

 

 

 

He brought them to the Spain hill district of Shibuya and sat on the ground with Shiki laying next to him. Neku looks around and then lets out a sigh of relief, had finally lost her.

 

 

 

 

 

The two exhausted teens then listened to the rain sprinkling on the ground and the powerful roar of the thunder. It was almost soothing.

 

 

 

 

 He closed his eyes and began to try to slow down his breathing. But he suddenly heard footsteps and a familiar voice causing him to gasp...

 

 

 

 

 

"My you know this city very well, this is a very good spot Neku. Especially since you have to take so many twists and turns to find it." Clarissa says smiling

 

 

 

 

"But it's over now Neku... now I can finally do what I wanted to from the beginning." she then begins to walk closer to him

 

 

 

 

 

"No" he whispered out of breath

 

 

 

 

She then begins to charge demon energy in her right hand to choke Neku with it. She wanted to speed up the demon transformation just incase she loses the war she can instantly bring him to the demon realm.

 

 

 

 

Having some strength left, he blocks the attack with his right and, clenching her hand with demon energy making him scream in pain.

 

 

 

 

She then flicks him on the forehead and vanishes.

 

 

 

 

 

At this point, Neku was so weak… he couldn't take anymore, his wings vanished and his body went back to being transparent. His eyes roll to the back of his head and collapses laying next to Shiki.


	18. Preparing for War

The rain begins to stop and the sun shines once more, the two unconscious teens lay in the Spain Hill district feeling the last few drops of rain splash against their "skin" and suddenly hear a voice cry out to them.

 

 

 

 

 

"Hey you guys okay?" The first voice said

 

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, you need to do better Neku. If you keep being reckless like this, you'll die pretty fast in the war" the second voice said chuckling

 

 

 

 

 

"Ngh… very funny Joshua" Neku mumbles as he slowly opens his eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

He looks to the left of him and sees Shiki wake up as well.

 

 

 

 

 

"Shiki… I'm glad you're awake" Neku says with a little smile.

 

 

 

 

"heh, I'm glad you're okay too" She says sweetly

 

 

 

 

 

They both manage to sit up and have to grab the hands of Joshua and Mr. H to get to their feet.

 

 

 

 

 

"What happened Phones?" Mr. H asked concerned

 

 

 

 

 

"huh? Mr. H… you weren't looking out for us?" Neku says saddened

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Of course I was Phones, that's how I found you. But I was originally working on some stuff for the Higher Ups. So, I would've bailed you out otherwise" Mr. H responds scratching his neck

 

 

 

 

"Come on Neku, you can't expect us to be their to save the day all the time." Joshua says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then groaned

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I know that Joshua it's just… fighting Demons is a lot harder than fighting Noise. Unlike them, they feed off of my energy and like trying to mess with me."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku says hiding his face letting his orange bangs cover his eyes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku, I was the one holding you back… I was the one who got hurt by the demon… I'm the one dragging you down." Shiki exclaims hanging her head

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh would you cut the crap?" he responds sharply crossing his arms

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?!" Shiki exclaimed shocked looking up at him

 

 

 

 

"Don't tell me your starting to slip back…" he says smiling with his hand on his hip

 

 

 

 

"Slip back?" she repeats confused

 

 

 

 

 

"Back to the old you, the Shiki who felt like she was just a hindrance to everyone. The Shiki who felt like she just wasted everyone's time" He remarked

 

 

 

 

 

 

"N-no! I know now that I'm not worthless, that I don't drag people down. Heh heh, thanks Neku"

 

 

 

 

 

"there you go" Neku says happily giving her a thumbs up, the way he did when they hanged out in the RG for the first time.

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then giggled

 

 

 

 

"Um as lovely as this little moment is, I think we need to go to the Enlighten Realm again"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua says smugly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"what?! What the hell's that suppose to mean Joshua?! We got nearly killed by that Demon Clarissa again and you automatically want us to just feel better and train some more?" Neku says outraged

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, well yes Neku. You and Shiki are dead. Spirits, and you need to remember that. So this means that you can heal from wounds faster since you don't really have flesh." Joshua responds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then claps his shoulder feeling vulnerable.

 

 

 

 

"I know Joshua, I know that I don't have a pulse anymore… it's just hard accepting it…" he says mournfully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"hey cheer up kiddo" Mr. H exclaims trying to lighten the mood "I mean yeah, it's hard leaving all that behind… but you've got Shiki with ya. That has to help a little." he says chuckling

 

 

 

That remark then causes Neku to scratch his head feeling a little embaressed

 

 

 

"Well, you could say that…" Neku admits while awkwardly scratching his head.

 

 

 

 

He and Shiki then feel much better, almost as if not thinking about the pain they were feeling was enough to make it go away… Like being with Mr. H was enough to heal them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So as much as the teens wanted to get some relaxation in, they did as they were told and went to the Enlighten realm once again.

 

 

 

 

however since they're not in combat they're in their Fledgling forms.With Joshua tagging along providing his Proxy tips if necessary

 

 

 

 

 

"So why are we here again Mr. H?" Neku asks confused

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah it feels like we should've stayed longer if we were going to have more training" Shiki asks just as confused

 

 

 

 

 

"Well that's because the lesson I'm about to teach you is very important, and even though I was going to save it for later, I think you both are ready for it seeing how your souls are empowered so greatly around each other." Mr. H clarifies with a smile

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then suddenly becomes more serious

 

 

 

 

 

"You see, the demons are starting to get restless and I know the War's gonna start soon. So you two need to expand more on imagination driven combat beyond using pins." he says seriously

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I know you're wondering it right Phones? Why you and Shiki are here?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Well yeah, I mean I know the demons want to take over the Higher Plane right? Is there really even more to it?" Neku asks clasping his shoulder

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, see I want to stop the War before it gets out of hand and possibly spread to the RG you guys." Mr. H says scratching his head

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then stare at him in shock

 

 

 

 

 

Almost afraid to ask, Neku hides his face allowing his bangs to overlap his eyes again.

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H… what would happen if the war spreads to the RG?"

 

 

 

"Well, You know how powerful explosions are right?" Mr. H asks

 

 

 

 

"yeah" Neku replies

 

 

 

 

"well take that destruction, drop it on every continent on Earth at once, and make it 1,000 times stronger in its destructive power… and that is the warfare between Angels and Demons… If the war got really out of hand, it could bring Angels, Composers and humanity to extinction."

 

 

 

 

He says grimly

 

 

 

 

"That's the real reason as to why I brought you here Neku" Joshua adds in

 

 

 

 

Neku's eyes widened and he was filled with terror

 

 

 

 

 

 

"NO!" he shirked "so then Mr. H… you and Joshua… you guys would… DIE?! And Beat and Rhyme, our families WHAT ABOUT THEM?!" He cried squeezing his hair

 

 

 

 

Shiki wanted to console him but she too was overwhelmed with fear making her look at Mr. H in shock

 

 

 

 

"hey easy there Phones, that's why you two are here." Mr. H exclaims putting his hand on Neku's shoulder causing him to look up and let go of his hair

 

 

 

 

 

 

"that's why I'm gonna teach yow how to expand your imagination even more, you and Shiki's" he says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then looks at him wondering what he meant

 

 

 

 

 

 

"really? How Mr. H?" she exclaims curious

 

 

 

 

"yeah, I mean we know how to focus our energy together. We can heal ourselves with our minds, thanks to you… so… what else can we do Mr. H?" Neku exclaims confused

 

 

 

 

"heh, heh, well we're gonna focus on something right up your alley Phones" Mr. H says with a chuckle

 

 

 

 

 

 

"That's right Neku, we're gonna tap into your creativity" Joshua says while flicking his hair

 

 

 

 

 

 

"whoa seriously?!" Neku exclaims in shock

 

 

 

 

Shiki then giggles

 

 

 

 

"This ought to be fun since your so creative Neku" she says with a smile causing him to scratch his head

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright Mr. H, I'll take it from here." Joshua tells the angel

 

 

 

 

He then nods his head and goes back to the composer domain where he continues his research on Demons and what they're planning.

 

 

 

 

Neku then crosses his arms glaring at Joshua

 

 

 

 

"What don't tell me you're still mad about me keeping those secrets from you?" Joshua says smiling

 

 

 

 

Neku then hides his face again causing Shiki to hold his hand

 

 

 

 

 

 

"No… it's just… it's hard… learning to trust people… then getting that trust broken again…. I can't forgive you, but I trust you Joshua. I realize now that you did that cause… you and.. Mr. H you're all in danger of Soul Obstruction and… I guess… even now… I still see you as… my friend."

 

 

 

"Neku" Shiki says sweetly

 

 

 

 

"heh, well good Neku, cause I'll need that trust if we're going to survive." he says flicking his hair again.

 

 

 

 

"yeah" Neku says clasping his shoulder again

 

 

 

 

"Now Neku, Shiki, I'll start with asking you two how you would like to fight and see what you can create" Joshua instructed

 

 

 

 

"alright" Neku says in response

 

 

 

 

 

"Now Shiki I'll need you to stand back for a bit to give Neku some room" Joshua instructed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then stands further away, but just a little so she can calm Neku down if something happens.

 

 

 

 

"So Neku… How would you like to fight? Since you'll be in a war you'll need a weapon of some kind to focus your energy into." Joshua asks

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Would you like something like this?" Joshua asks again

 

 

 

 

The moment he says "this" a pin appears in Joshua's hand causing Neku to gasp

 

 

 

 

"WHAT?! No, no way Joshua! …that would be too much like the Game" Neku says cclenching his right shoulder

 

 

 

 

"okay then how about this?" Joshua then holds out a necklace with a pendant in the shape of the Ghost Cat

 

 

 

 

"Aw snap!" Neku exclaims at the awesome idea of using CAT to attack demons "This is really cool… but how would I use it?"

 

 

 

 

Joshua than places his and on his chin and thinks

 

 

 

 

"Hmmm I'm not really sure Neku… oh well." he then makes the necklace disappear

 

 

 

 

 

 

"this maybe?" Joshua extends his hand out to Neku to reveal a key

 

 

 

 

Neku crosses his arms

 

 

 

 

 

"really Joshua? Not only is that really lame but, I could've sworn there's a video game out there where you kill monsters with a key… so… not very original." Neku says with his left hand by his head and right hand on his waist

 

 

 

 

The human form of the Composer then groaned

 

 

 

 

"alright what _do_ you want Neku?" Joshua asks shrugging

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still crossing his arms he then shrugged closing his eyes

 

 

 

 

 

 

"how am I suppose to know?" Neku said a little annoyed

 

 

 

 

he then crossed his arms again and thought for a minute and then smiled letting his arms go down

 

 

 

 

"well, I think it'd be cool if I could use graffiti to kill demons!" Neku says excitedly

 

 

 

 

 

"It'd be so cool! I'd shoot fire from the spray paint can, and lightning and I could even unleash lava as my spray paint and…

 

 

 

 

Shiki then begins to giggle seeing how Neku's imagination is going out of control causing billions of spray paint cans to rain from the sky

 

 

 

 

 

"um… Neku?" Joshua exclaims with his confused look on his face

 

 

 

 

 

"hmmm, or maybe I could use music to fight!" Neku thought aloud

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah, I could use a music staff as some sort of well… staff, and stab them with it. Oh! Or maybe I could use music notes to attack them, and then I could use Sharps and Flats and throw them at the Demons! and I could even use music notes!" Neku said excited

 

 

 

 

 

"Quarter Notes, Eighth notes, sixtinth notes and even half notes! Maybe I could tap my foot and make a beat sending demons flying away! or maybe I could clap out a rhythm and send out shock waves to the beat! Or maybe even use a Treble Cleft! yeah I could use it to slash Demons and--"

 

 

 

 

 

"NEKU!" Joshua roared "ugh, I think you ought to stick with energy based combat."

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?" what's that suppose to mean?" Neku looked at him shocked

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua sighed than shook his head causing Neku to awkwardly scratch his head

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Look around you Neku" he exclaims

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then looks in shock to see piles, mountains of music staffs, music notes, treble clefts, and spray paint cans shooting fire, lava, and lightning into the sky, scattered across the Enlightens' world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"oops" Neku says shyly

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki couldn't help but smile and giggle seeing how he becomes so happy when thinking about art or music.

 

 

 

 

 

"heh heh, I think he's right Neku, we should stick to what we know for now" she exclaims

 

 

 

 

 

"Shiki!" Neku roars "Y-you're siding with him?!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"well… you're so creative Neku that your imagination just exploded just now" she says giggling "so I guess yeah"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku chuckled with hand on his hip giving her that smug little smile of his, "Oh alright" he responds sweetly

 

 

 

 

Joshua then explains to them how the Demons, just like Angels can also create Noise.

 

 

 

 

"Wait! So you're saying that Mr. H could make Noise if he wanted to?!" Neku exclaims in shock

 

 

 

 

"well… yes, but it's the demon breed of Noise we need to worry about Neku." Joshua replies

 

 

 

 

 

"they're called Crescendo Noise" He exclaims

 

 

 

 

"Cre…Scen..do Noise?" Shiki barley manages to pronounce

 

 

 

 

Neku finding amusing that she struggled to pronounce it chuckled

 

 

 

 

"Crescendo" Neku repeats with his smug smile placing his hand on his hip "It's a music term Shiki. Italian for an increase in sound. Meaning, the music is slowly getting louder."

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?! Y-you speak Italian Neku?" Shiki asks in shock

 

 

 

 

 

He then awkwardly scratched his head

 

 

 

 

 

"w-well no, but pretty much all music terms are Italian Shiki. I guess they just contributed to music a lot. Heh heh." he responds.

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then chuckled

 

 

 

 

"Neku, I'm glad you're still you." she exclaims happily

 

 

 

 

"huh?" he exclaims confused

 

 

 

 

 

"that even with that energy inside of you, you're still you. That you still love music and art." she says smiling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh yeah me too." Neku says bashfully

 

 

 

 

"Alright you two, now you need to learn how to fight them. See unlike normal Noise, Crescendo Noise are hybrids of other animals." Joshua explains

 

 

 

 

"heh doesn't matter. Easy. They're good as gone!" Neku exclaims confidently in his experience with Noise

 

 

 

 

"Ah, but what about a Noise with the speed of a Cheetah, the strength of a Gorilla, and venomous teeth like a snake?" Joshua asks smiling slyly

 

 

 

 

"Joshua… you really think we can't handle them?" Shiki asks

 

 

 

 

"Well I wouldn't say that… just that they're tough to beat." he responds

 

 

 

 

"Well, Neku and I have fought Noise before so I'm sure we can handle it." she says smiling

 

 

 

 

Joshua then looks at them intensely wondering if they really could handle Noise this strong. He's more or less concerned about Shiki.

 

 

 

If she were to be defeated, then no one else could neutralize the Demon energy in Neku to the extent she does. In fact, unknown to her, is that if Shiki wasn't in the Higher Plane with him, Neku would've been consumed by the energy a long time ago.

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua then recreates hybrid Noise of his own to show them what it's like fighting Noise like that as part of their training…


	19. Preparing for War (Part 2)

The two friends fought Joshua's hybrid Noise for what felt like hours and fought many unique forms, one of them had the body of a lion but with hollow bones like a bird enabling it to fly with massive batwings and a venomous frog tongue.

 

 

 

While another was a cheetah with bear arms and the teeth of a great white shark. As the two friends fought along side each other, their energies and minds became stronger, enabling Shiki to fight in a way she never could in the UG.

 

 

 

 

 

Her cat Mr. Mew fought along side her in the fights, but unlike the UG where she would have to mimic the fighting moves she wants Mr. Mew to unleash, as a panther he has more of a mind of his own and instead they fight in perfect unison, each partner mimicking the same attack as the other, something that amazed Neku.

 

 

 

 

"She's really getting stronger.." he thought as he watched her kill one of the two Noise they were fighting.

 

 

 

 

"Neku come on!" she exclaims to her Enlightened partner

 

 

 

 

"right behind you!" he exclaims back

 

 

 

 

While in the air the two enlightens grab each other's hands and begin to twist in the air in the shape of a spiral, while doing this the energy within them began to intensify until they were completely engulfed in the energy drilling it into the Noise before finally exploding into a dome shape.

 

 

 

 

"Hmmm, very impressive" Joshua declares after they killed the hybrid Noise

 

 

 

 

"Alright you two I think that's enough for today." Joshua announces to them

 

 

 

 

The two teens then go back to their fledgling forms

 

 

 

 

"at this rate we may not even have to worry about the Demon energy in Neku…" Joshua thought

 

 

 

 

"Neku becomes so empowered by her, so in control, that I could barley even detect any demon energy in him. But, the war's coming and I don't know how he'll react around the presence of so many demons at once." the Composer wondered

 

 

 

 

"He's already lost control of himself twice, and if Shiki hadn't been there to calm him down, he could've transformed into a demon almost instantly on the second time the energy leaked out" he thought concerned

 

 

 

 

"And Clarissa she wants Neku, she wanted him to stay alive for some plan of hers" he remembers "I wonder what is it that she really wants from him? Would she use him to take over the Higher Plane? Or...what if he became an apprentice of hers?"

 

 

 

As Joshua stands with his hand placed on his chin Neku notices him deep in thought and asks..

 

 

 

 

 

"Hey Joshua is something up?"

 

 

 

 

"Hm? Oh nothing just thinking about something that's all" Joshua says reassuringly.

 

 

 

 

"You sure?" Neku asks not convinced

 

 

 

 

"He's obviously hiding something but still, if there's a reason he's not telling me and Shiki I should respect that." he thinks in his head

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm sure" Joshua responds

 

 

 

 

With that remark the friends then parted ways with Neku and Shiki returning to the Higher Plane Shibuya…

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, in the Demon Realm Clarissa begins to explain to her fellow demons her plan…

 

 

 

 

"My fellow demons, Mongrels, (lowest demon form, equivalent to a Spirit) Demurals (second lowest, like an Enlighten) and Heathens (third lowest, equivalent to an Officer) I have interesting news" she exclaims

 

 

 

 

 

"As you all know I went Fledgling hunting when I found a particularly interesting Fledgling… it just so happens I ran into a very interesting little boy named… Neku Sakuraba."

 

 

 

 

At this moment the demons began to widen their eyes in shock at her stroke of luck.

 

 

 

 

"I was fortunate enough to pour more demon energy within him, it's swirling around inside of his energy trying to consume it even as we speak… why the energy has even leaked out twice already" she exclaims happily

 

 

 

She then lowers her head

 

 

 

 

"Poor Cedric" she added "He lost his life to that meddlesome Death God, the Composer. But through his sacrifice, we now gained a new opportunity. Now thanks to him we have two pools that merged into one massive amount of Demon energy flowing inside of Neku."

 

 

 

"But Mistress what's so special about Neku?" One of the newly born demons questioned

 

 

 

 

"An excellent question, New Born! You see, Neku Sakuraba is no ordinary New Born Spirit. His mind and energy was very strong, even when he was alive. I saw that at one point he even merged three energies with his own, one of them being the Composer himself! Regardless of how the Composer was tuned down in his human form like with us demons, that is still an amazing thing he did."

 

 

 

"It's because of this" She continues "That I want Neku to become one of us."

 

 

 

"Should we lose the War against the Composers and Angels, we could then overwhelm him with my energy. Completely consume him, making him ensnared within my power you see. Then by doing this, we can see how powerful he is, as a Demon. I'd love for him to be my apprentice. Who knows? If we're lucky he could even take my place, as the new Demon Lord." The Demon Mistress explained

 

 

One of the Demurals then asks her a question

 

 

"But why are you so focused on Neku? Wouldn't you  _want_ us to win the War?" he asked

 

 

"Of course I would. I want us to win the war and finally kill those wretched Death Gods and their Angel guardians too. They act so self-righteously, like they're better than us when yet they've done horrible things too. But they deny it, they act as if they're so pure and perfect. I've seen the spirits they've killed, so I would hate for Neku to become like them. That's why I want him to become a Demon and escape their influence." Clarissa said smiling

 

 

 

Some of the demons began to whisper and gasp at how amazingly powerful Neku could really be.

 

 

 

 

 

One of the Heathens (which resembles Angels with the exception of looking more like a plume of smoke with batwings) wasn't convinced

 

 

 

 

 

"How do we know that you're not exaggerating a little?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

he asked since he had never monitored Neku before and would merely go and kill Fledglings for fun.

 

 

 

 

"do not underestimate Neku!" She warned him.

 

 

 

 

 

She then transforms into her true demon form.

 

 

 

 

 

Gray skin with cut marks like all demons, and still bright red irises. Her hair then becomes snow white. And her finger nails became black claws that extended out four inches.

 

 

 

 

" _this_ is what Neku can do. this is the potential of the Composer's Proxy" she exclaims

 

 

 

 

The demons stare with horror seeing two gaping holes in Clarissa's chest, she then grows skin there to cover up the wound.

 

 

 

 

"The Composer of Shibuya's Proxy, Neku, unleashed an Angel ranked technique on me. A mere Fledgling learned how to use this technique!" she exclaims with a sharp tone.

 

 

 

 

 

"So DON'T underestimate him in the war. If you do he will not hesitate to kill you!" She says sternly

 

 

 

 

"Now let's say we win the War. Let's say for whatever reason, he's pathetic as a demon and doesn't live up to my expectations, that we don't need Neku anymore. What will I do then, you might be wondering? Simple… I'll overflow him with demon energy to the point it'll go straight to his Soul Code and erase the fact of him ever being human. It'll be like Neku never existed." The Mistress said slyly

 

 

 

 

"Oh, and make it extremely painful of course, filling him with agony to the point he screams in pain as tears fall from his face. Heh, you know how much I love seeing Human Souls suffer and breathe their last breath. Cruel to be sure, but at least we demons _accept_ that side of us rather than deny it." she says with a crooked smile

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah but what about Shiki Misaki?" one of the Advanced Demons proclaimed

 

 

 

 

 

"As long as she's around, it'll be hard to pull that off, and on top of that she neutralizes the energy." The Demon pointed out

 

 

 

 

"Yes that is true." she says agreeing with him.

 

 

 

 

"So do you want me to kill her?" he exclaims with an almost blood thirsty yet, happy sort of look.

 

 

 

 

 

"No, don't worry that won't be nessecary" she says reassuringly patting him on the head, "this means we'll just have to push the Composer's Proxy even harder, and thus make the corruption of the energy even stronger. So remember, when we go to war, go… AT FULL BLAST! UNLEASH ALL OF YOUR POWER!"

 

 

 

 

The demons then began to smile, laugh and roar pleased with the wonderful news and began chanting as if part of a bizarre ritual,

 

 

 

 

"DOWN WITH THE PROXY, DOWN WITH THE PROXY!"

 

 

 

 

Clarissa then smiled happy to see the immense amount of support the demons showed…

 

 

 

 

 

In the Composer Domain Mr. H felt their presence as he did research on the demons by analyzing Soul, the energy that flows within all living things and can sense the demon energy growing extremely powerful within that realm.

 

 

 

 

"Hey Boss, I've got some bad news…" he says grimly

 

 

 

 

"Oh? Research on the demons and Clarissa's plan I'm guessing?" he says curiously

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… she wants to use Phones, and make him the most powerful demon there is… but to do that, they're gonna push him really hard. It's to the point he might go full demon. that is their back up plan for losing the war… and if Phones goes full demon, you know what that means…"

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then sighed and scratched his neck

 

 

 

 

"Sadly, yes. Neku would be broken beyond repair… and become the next Demon Lord." Joshua says crossing his arms

 

 

 

 

"heh, makes you wonder if winning the war's such a good idea now." Mr. H says in his laid back tone of voice

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, but if we lose then… they'll wipe us out. Ugh it's such a horrible out come either way and since according to your research it's impossible to remove demon energy, this is Neku's fate either way" Joshua says in an almost annoyed tone of voice.

 

 

 

 

"well yeah but there's Shiki… what about her Boss?" Mr. H says smiling trying to be hopeful

 

 

 

 

"Oh come on now, Mr. H you know she can only do so much. So far she's only been able to neutralize it when the energy just leaks out. But by being in the presence of so many demons, Neku could go full blast in the war… and not even she could stop that." Joshua says grimily

 

 

 

 

"Yeah I know… I'm starting to regret him ever being brought here… after all if he was still in the RG, he wouldn't be at risk of losing his mind… which Clarissa has started to corrupt by the way… no signs of it happening yet but still…." Mr. H says sadly

 

 

 

 

 

"I know but it was either bring him here, to help add to the number of spirits with strong imagination, to try to help stop the war early or have it continue longer and have him on earth where he'd face the end of the world being wiped out with the rest of humanity." Joshua reminds him

 

 

 

 

"Yeah the war's probably gonna start in a few days… I think Phones and Shiki's minds have grown to where they can tolerate being in the RG a little what about you?" Mr. H asks laid back

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmmm I noticed that too. ..What are you suggesting Mr. H?" Joshua asks curiously

 

 

 

 

 

"I think at least before the war, they should see their bodies one last time, to help 'em cope you know? Help them accept that they've crossed over."

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H says a little sad empathizing with their sadness

 

 

 

 

"Yeah I guess you're right Joshua" says shrugging

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile Neku and Shiki finally get some rest again laying on the glass floor (repaired of Neku's first encounter with Clarissa) and stare at the sky of the Higher Plane Shibuya.

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then sighed

 

 

 

 

"Hey…Shiki" he says sadly "Do you ever miss the RG?"

 

 

 

 

"Of course I do Neku. But, since all the stuff that's been going on, I haven't been able to really think about it. Why do you ask?" She responds sadly as well

 

 

 

 

"It's just, when I first came here to the Higher Plane and started missing you guys, missing my family, Shibuya… that's how the world you see right now came to be… I made this from missing all of you." Neku replies weakly

 

 

 

 

"Neku… you really did?" she asks kind of surprised but with her voice still drained filled with sadness

 

 

 

 

"Yeah. It just feels weird. I've gotten so used to being with all of you that the moment I was alone again, I didn't feel right. I thought I was gonna go back again Shiki, back to the old me" he says closing his eyes feeling tears build for a second

 

 

 

 

"Neku?" she says concerned

 

 

 

 

"I…I'm okay Shiki, heh heh, don't worry. I just miss them a lot. Do you think about them too?" he says sweetly

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, Beat, Rhyme, Eri, my family and your family. Neku… they're all down there. Filled with sadness, and there's nothing we can do about it." she replies hurt.

 

 

 

 

 

"Shiki… you were in the RG a little longer than I was. So… I need to know how long I've been dead. Since there's no time in the Higher Plane I really have no idea." he says weakly

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then sighed

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku, when I was in the RG it was four days that you were dead." she says with a tear streaming down her face.

 

 

 

 

Neku notices this and says

 

 

 

 

"Shiki…. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that" he then says rolling over to look at her.

 

 

 

 

"It's okay" she sayid as she rolled over looking it him.

 

 

 

 

For a moment there was silence and the two teens closed their eyes as if they wanted to go to sleep but then suddenly Neku rose to his feet, making Shiki do the same

 

 

 

 

"Wait… four days…. FOUR DAYS?!" Neku roared

 

 

 

 

"Yeah Neku it's been four days." she answers him. "then I died on the same day you saw me so sad. So… I died on the fourth day of your passing."

 

 

 

 

Neku then clasps his right shoulder and hides his mouth

 

 

 

 

"Crap...if it's been that long then" he exclaims "You don't think they've already done that for us do you?! Especially since they're really expensive!"

 

 

 

 

She then hanged her head and responds

 

 

 

 

"You mean… a funeral? …Neku… I have no idea." she says in a dry tone of voice

 

 

 

 

Neku then hangs his head, hiding his eyes in his bangs, hands in his pockets and mouth in his collar

 

 

 

 

"Damn it" Neku said a little sad "I need to know what happened to us."

 

 

 

 

"But Mr. H!" he continues "he said that… spirits can't interact with the RG too much or else they go insane and turn into demons and--"

 

 

 

 

He then feels her hugging him.

 

 

 

 

"Neku… it'll be okay. Our minds have gotten stronger right? So the least we can do is ask him if it's alright." she says sweetly

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… he says hugging her back"

 

 

 

 

"He's gonna let us see our bodies again right?" Neku thinks

 

 

 

 

To be continued


	20. Accepting Death

After the two teens let go of their embrace and calm down they finally feel ready to approach Mr. H.

 

 

 

However they still feel a little nervous and weren't so sure if they should see their bodies, would it be too much for them to take, and their family and friends… would their reaction be too much? They needed these questions to be answered. After all, they'd go to war soon and probably never be able to see them again if the war spreads to the RG.

 

 

"You sure you're okay Neku?" Shiki asks

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah.. You?" he responds

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, I'm ready to know." She says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H watching over them in his district agrees that they need to see themselves one last time and goes to the Fledgling district.

 

 

 

 

 

"Hey guys" Mr. H says morosely "I kinda over heard your conversation, and well, I think you two need to face that. That you're dead."

 

 

 

 

 

"So does that mean that we can… you know?" Neku says weakly

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, but Phones, be careful alright. If you or Shiki start too feel really hurt in the RG, get outta there! Understand? You know what can happen if you let your mind get too caught up in the RG. This reason is mainly why only Composers and Angels are allowed to spend long periods of time in the RG." Mr. H says warning them

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah I know…" Neku says

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then opens a window into the RG allowing Neku and Shiki to go through it.

 

 

 

 

 

"Now just remember what I said you two" he says in a serious voice.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don't worry, we will." Neku says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

 

As Neku and Shiki float down to the RG they could help but get a little emotional. It was exactly the way they left it.

 

 

 

 

 

"Same streets, same sounds, same people too, yup… Shibuya hasn't changed a bit" Neku remarked at the normalcy of the city they left behind

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… it's almost like no one even knows we're dead." Shiki says filled with melancholy

 

 

 

 

 

When the two spirits finally float close enough they then land gently on the ground, walking around the city as if they were part of it again, except they were invisible to everyone again. In a way it felt almost like they were in the UG again.

 

 

 

 

As the two teens walk around the city they can't help but soak it all in, and for a moment they felt as if they were actually apart of it again, that they were alive…

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku watch out!" Shiki cried

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then looked behind him and shielded himself from a Moving truck only to have it phase through him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?…. Oh yeah… we're, we're not really here." Neku said sadly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, guess for a minute there we both forgot" She says sadly hugging Mr. Mew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Come on, let's walk a bit more to see if we can find Beat and Rhyme." She tells him

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah" Neku says agreeing with her

 

 

 

 

 

The two teens first thought of going to Hachiko but… they weren't there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"School maybe?" Neku told Shiki

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Maybe … except look at the time." Shiki says pulling out her cell phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Being in the world of the living enabled her phone to work again. Something that stopped the moment she and Neku entered the Higher Plane.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

"See it's 4:15 and school usually is over by then." She adds in

 

 

 

 

 

 

"whoa it… it actually works here huh? well then where could they be?" Neku asks crossing his arms

 

 

 

 

 

"No idea…" she says hanging her head as she puts her cell phone away."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku than gasps with shock

 

 

 

 

 

"Wait, with how long we've been dead... you don't think they...did that at school do you?" Neku said shocked

 

 

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head

 

 

 

 

 

"I dunno...maybe, but I wanna see too" Shiki said sadly

 

 

 

 

 

 

the teens then decided to take advantage of Neku's imagination and see if he thinks about it, that they'll teleport there. He places both hands on his head and closes his eyes, thinking about their class they share together.

 

 

 

 

 

The moment he does, the teens go right to the classroom they both share and phased through the classroom door since it was locked due to school being closed. as they did, Neku flipped on the light switch and saw what they suspected all along. Filling them with sadness.

 

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki walk towards their desks to see that both desks had a white vase on their desks with a white flower in the vase, a common practice in Japanese schools to mourn the death of a classmate. (though should the vase be placed on the desk of a living student, it's saying that they wish the person was dead)

 

 

 

 

 

"They...they really did it" Neku hanging his head

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah...at least it means that...someone's sad about our deaths you know? besides Beat, Rhyme and Eri" Shiki said cuddling Mr. Mew with tears in her eyes

 

 

 

 

 

"C'mon, let's go back to looking for them" Neku said to her

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Good idea" Shiki replied

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then closes his eyes again and places his hands on his head and closes his eyes

 

 

 

 

 

"Focus" he said quietly

 

 

 

 

 

the teens then teleport back to where they were before going to their middle school and walked around some more, only to then spot their friends in the distance, watching them walk closer

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Shiki look, I think that's them… and… Eri" Neku says as he started to feel sad

 

 

 

 

 

 

After getting a closer look at the three friends getting closer… their hearts began to sink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beat, Rhyme and Eri all walked together but they looked different.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the first time ever, Neku and Shiki saw Beat in sophisticated clothing. He wore a black tuxedo with a black tie tucked underneath, plain black shoes to match and didn't wear his hat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhyme (also without her hat) wore a little black dress with dark gray short sleeves and black slippers to match with a black ribbon in her hair tied as a bow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eri, being the fashion lover she is, even made her own clothes for the occasion, it was extremely difficult bringing her idea to life without the trusty, skilled hands of her seamstress friend. But to honor her and Neku, she put all her effort into making it as fast as she could, to have it ready for the funeral. although she's good at making clothes, she's better at adding designs to them, making her outfit take longer to make without Shiki's help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She wore a plain black dress that was tight at her waist and had an indigo ribbon tied across her waist, a reference to Neku's favorite color and extended outward (kind of like how Neku's shirt does that) and wore a blueish black long sleeve jacket on top and wore a necklace with Mr. Mew's face recreated as the pendant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing the sad faces, seeing the references Eri made to them with her clothes… it was gut wrenching it was then they finally knew… Beat, Eri, and Rhyme were all attending their funerals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was almost too much for them to bare seeing their precious friends filled with so much heartache. It made Neku hang his head

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever since the Reapers' Game Neku learned the importance of caring about others, after all it was Beat's loyalty to Neku and the determination to save his sister that pushed him to finally confronting the composer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So he naturally couldn't stand seeing the powerful, strong, "freaking rhino" become so weak, broken and hurt… because of them.

 

 

 

 

 

"no…" Neku said squinting as he fought back tears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"N-Neku" Shiki says as her voice begins to break. "Let's ….let's go back… it hurts."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I know… I, I want to… but… I want know where they're going Shiki…" he says as he hides his face

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling overwhelmed with grief, Neku felt heartache as he felt pain in his chest

 

 

 

 

 

"I just …wish they knew that we're okay. That we could contact them." he said sadly

 

 

 

 

Shiki then walks next to him placing her hand on his.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"me too" she said weakly with her eyes watering

 

 

 

 

 

 

When this happened it's almost as if Neku's Angel Creation technique kicked in without him realizing it. Suddenly even though the sun was out… it began to rain… A Sun

Shower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, Rhyme look up there" Beat tells his sister pointing to the clouds, causing Eri to look up too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hearing Beat saying for Rhyme to up caused him to the same

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It's raining… but the sun's out… we don't see this very often…a Sun Shower?" Rhyme says with a tear going down her face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Y-yeah that's for sure… do you think… no that's crazy…" Eri says aloud

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"huh what you mean dressy girl….uh Eri?" Beat says

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I just thought that maybe… in another life, in another world… maybe this is Neku and Shiki, maybe their crying from seeing us sad. Like they're trying to say:

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I want to be with you so bad, and let you know I'm suffering too I'm here without you, suffering too, I'm here without you… so don't you think that it's better when you leave the world behind… don't you believe, that everything is perfect the day that you die."

 

 

 

 

"Huh?" Rhyme said shocked "What you just said, it sounded almost like lyrics to a song instead of a sentence."

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, you know I guess it does, you think… you think that was Neku? After all he loved music." she said sadly

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then stared at them in shock causing Shiki to do the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Eri…" Neku said weakly "You… you really care even though you don't know me as well as Beat and Rhyme…. But still, you… see me as a friend?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Of course she does Neku" Shiki says still holding his hand. "She would say to me that she thinks you're really cool, and would love to know you more, and how she admires how much you believe in being yourself, and how she's thankful that I met you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Eri… he says softly "…thank you" Although Neku never realized it… he transferred a little bit of his energy to her, just like how Neku did that to Shiki when she was in the RG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?" Eri exclaimed surprised "… N-Neku?!"

 

 

 

 

 

"whoa" Beat exclaimed the… the same thing happened to Shiki yo… before she died. She thought she heard Phones… that she heard Neku."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Come on guys… we're gonna be late if we keep taking too long." Rhyme says sadly.

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah…Phones… Neku man, if you're listening" Beat's voice began to break

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I-I want you back… I- I miss you yo…. You you're my family… when my folks would get me mad… I'd hang at your place for a few days, sleep in the guest room… we'd eat breakfast together an' all that! It's was like I had a second family, like I was a Sakuraba too man."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beat then began to hide his face under his sleeve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhyme tears streaming down her face exclaims

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Beat… Please" she sniffed "we… we need to go"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"y-yeah" he responded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The three friends then walk to Neku's house. His funeral was scheduled first since he had died a few days before Shiki.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Beat… I'm sorry I can't help" Neku said filled with grief

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You sure you want do this Neku? Remember what Mr. H said." Shiki says concerned

 

 

 

 

 

"Y-yeah I know… but I need closure. If me and you can't come back for some reason then… I want to see myself one last time…" he says sadly

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah me too" Shiki says agreeing with him letting go of his hand

 

 

 

 

 

The two ghosts follow the friends to Neku's house. He was shocked at seeing what was happening. It was a legit funeral. Something that can cost up to 2.3 million yen. His parents pulled every single amount of yen from Neku's collage fund and used their money to eventually have 2 million yen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was heart broken it had everything, Neku's parents hired a priest to bless Neku's body and began to read Sutras, Buddhist scriptures. His father was the Chief Mourner and also read a scripture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beat was the Funeral Council Spokesman, he helped with other things such as choosing what song to be his Requiem (music played for the dead) and lighting a candle by Neku's bed where he found Aya laying on top of his dirty pajamas that he never got to wash and helping put Neku's body in a coffin.

 

 

 

 

However since they were still in the process of the funeral he got prepare himself mentally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhyme on the other hand being the more logical and calm one of the bunch was the Undertaker, the one who made sure the funeral ran smoothly.

 

 

 

 

 

Neku was in shock watching his body lay lifeless as he laid on a mat his parents set up for his body. His parents found it fitting to have him cremated wearing his favorite Jupiter of the Monkey clothes.

 

 

 

 

 

His mother and father offer incense to be used three times in the incense urn by Neku's body.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eri, Beat and Rhyme being guests then performed the same ritual behind the family members seats.

 

 

 

 

 

As Neku witnessed all of this he was frozen tears streaming down his face, with Shiki squeezing his hand, crying as well.

 

 

 

 

 

As the priest chanted more Sutras he then gave Neku a new Buddist name (or Kaimyo) written in kanji to prevent Neku returning should his name be called so he can rest in peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the priest finished they then played Neku's requiem.

 

 

 

 

 

a song by an alternative rockband that Neku discovered when looking up independent music in Tokyo. As the song began to play the ending everyone bowed their heads in silence holding hands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the acoustic guitar outro for the song was finished beat then placed Neku's body in the casket and the family and friends then placed flowers by his head and body.

 

 

 

 

 

The casket was then sealed and sent to a crematorium with Neku and Shiki following.

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku… we, we can stop if you want. Are you sure you want to see the last process of the funeral? Cause you and me both know what happens next… are you sure you want to see it?" she asks concerned about him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku?" she asked even more worried

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was frozen, completely in shock. Overwhelmed by sadness knowing that soon… he'll have no body to go back to. On top of that once the Kanji is written, it acts as a barrier making it impossible for Neku to go back to his own house… he knew once he left it… he could never come back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He took one last look at his house and then told her

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm ready… I want to see it through" he says squeezing her hand

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Then I'm with you" she says sweetly

 

 

 

 

 

 

They then go to the the crematorium where Neku, Shiki, his parents, Beat, Rhyme, and Eri all witness the sliding of Neku's body into the cremation chamber.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tears streaming down his face…

 

 

 

 

 

"It's all over…" he thought. "I can kiss the RG goodbye…"


	21. Accepting Death (Part 2)

After hiding his face in his shirt's collar, not wanting to watch his own flesh burn, watching the fabric of his clothes burn and MP3 melt away… he had enough. Neku couldn't watch anymore but at the same time he wanted to be there for Shiki. She was so supportive of him in this situation he thought he should do the same for her…

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Shiki… come on, let's get out of here." Neku says sniffling as he wiped away his tears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah we don't need to be here anymore." she says hanging her head

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Do you wanna go back to the Higher Plane?" He asks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then lets his bangs cover his eyes not wanting to see anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"If you need to see yourself, I'll be there too."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Really? Shiki says in shock that he's still willing to put up with the sadness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku… I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore. I know this is hurting you, and it hurts me too just to watch all of this…but since Kanjis are so common in funerals I guess I should see my home and my body before it's set up you know?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then sighed "yeah I know"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The two spirits then went to Shiki's house where their friends performed he same ceremony that was done for Neku and listened to Shiki's Requiem

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the song continues shiki's eyes begin to water as she saw her parents cry

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the song finally began to fade Shiki squeezed Neku's hand knowing that she would be cremated too. She then takes one last look at her house as she and Neku go to watch her body burn. They tried to take it all in, everything they're seeing… that there really is no turning back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Eri… I'll miss you, try to not stay so sad okay? Look out for Beat and Rhyme for me please, please do that for me… just live the best you can cause you'll see me and Neku somewhere in another life."

 

 

 

 

 

 

she says sweetly as she tries to put a smile on her face as she looks at Eri, Beat and Rhyme one last time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… hang in there guys, we'll see each other again one day" Neku adds in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"so… you ready?" He asks her as they leave the crematorium

 

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah…. Neku…. There's one last thing I want to do…" she says

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Okay, take your time Shiki, no need to rush" He says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then walks back to the crematorium up to Eri and hugs her wishing that Eri could feel her…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You've always been like an older sister to me, being an only child I never really knew what it was like. But you really were like that to me Eri… thank you…. For everything." shiki then has a tear streaming down her face as she says this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She almost didn't want to let go of her, she wished she could be with all her friends again… but she knew she couldn't

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then hugged her parents, Beat and Rhyme telling them to live their lives and be happy. She then walked out of the crematorium to see Neku smiling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?" she exclaimed confused at his expression "Neku why are you smiling?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm just glad we got to let this go… that we can well, live knowing that we'll see them again but you know, when it's their time. So in a way Shiki this isn't us saying good bye to them, this is us telling them we'll see them later on." he replied

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You know… you're right Neku, we're living on the other side, the side that people are unsure of, so… in a way it's not so bad." Shiki says happily

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"come on Neku, let's go back."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah I'll let Mr. H know" he replies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku contacts Mr. H with his telepathy once again doing the pose he would when concentrating on reading minds…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright Mr. H, we're ready to go back" he tells him

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh, alright I'm on my way to pick you kids up" Mr. H remarked in an almost joking sort of way, like he's picking up kids from school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the very instant Mr. H says this to Neku in his mind a beam of light appears to materialize into their Angel friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright you two time to go. Do you feel any better?" He asks them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah a lot better actually." Neku replies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, I think.. This really was a good idea in the long run." Shiki adds in

 

 

 

 

 

 

They then walk over to Mr. H, he places his hands on their shoulders and closes his eyes causing them to do the same. When Neku and Shiki then opened their eyes they saw they were in the Fledgling district once more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"so what did you guys learn?" Mr. H asks happily seeing how accepting that their dead is already making an impact on them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"well we learned how much it sucks to watch your own funeral" Shiki says in a joking kind of way… almost as if feeling free from accepting she's dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"ha ha, yeah it sure does, so… what about you Phones?" Mr. H asks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku however was silent, he was still trying to take everything in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"aw, come on now Phones. Don't tell me you've forgotten what I told you. I can't help ya unless you open up. Do remember what I told you about your world? You know, how the world ends with you--"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?" Neku looks up in shock "Mr. H no it doesn't… at least not anymore."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H and Shiki appear puzzled by him and that statement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The moment you expand your horizons, The moment you let people in, everything changes. you can feel things that you couldn't before, understand things that you didn't understand… and accept things that you didn't accept. By expanding my horizons, looking past death, I know now that nothing really ends, you just start over. A new beginning, a new perspective on life and death." Neku says sincerely 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The world doesn't end with you… it begins with you." He adds with a smile 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku…" Shiki says sweetly

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H smiles at him nodding his head in approval

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Ha ha, there you go Phones! Geez you've grown a lot since the first time we met!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?" Neku exclaims confused "What do you mean Mr. H?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, the Neku I knew from the UG would've never said that. He was trapped in his sadness to the point that the only thing that made him happy was CAT, and now look at ya! I'm proud of you, and…. I'm really glad I gave ya that harmonizer pin." Mr. H says with a big grin on his face nudging Neku in the arm

 

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, thanks… and I'm glad you did too. If my soul and mind wasn't healed from that pin, my partners, and just the experiences I went through… I probably would still have my headphones." Neku says holding his right shoulder, looking down

 

 

 

 

 

 

"GO MR. MEW!" Shiki cried as she threw her cat as it flew into Neku's chest

 

 

 

 

 

 

"oof" Neku exclaimed "Shiki what was that for?!" he roars in shock

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You were getting sad again" she says in a teasing sort of voice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"now what is CAT's motto?" she asks smiling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Enjoy every moment with all you got" he answers smiling

 

 

 

 

 

 

She then giggled

 

 

 

 

 

 

"were you enjoying the moment?" she asked

 

 

 

 

 

 

"n-no" Neku admits scratching his head

 

 

 

 

 

 

"heh, heh, then do that Neku!" she exclaims

 

 

 

 

 

"heh heh I will. Thanks Shiki…" Neku replies smiling

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H couldn't help but soak it all in, amazed at how strong his imprinting of enjoying the moment, trying to increase the imagination of all who felt the message impacted them. How he made Neku so free…

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You know Phones, I think CAT would be very pleased with you… seeing you and Shiki live up to the graffiti artist's motto" he says with a smile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah me too… thanks Mr. H" Neku replies

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then giggled

 

 

 

 

 

"I think it's so cool that CAT helps people through his art" Shiki said happily

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah I think it's cool too" the Angel added

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then chuckled

 

 

"You know, l think this experience has made your minds strong enough to handle it now. Meaning that if you want to look into the RG to see your friends again, that you'll be okay" he said happily 

 

 

Neku and Shiki look back at each other and smiled and then looked back at Mr.  H 

 

 

 

"You really mean it?" Shiki said eagerly 

 

 

 

"I sure do! It usually takes new born spirits a longer time to accept they're dead and they usually don't even want to see themselves in the RG, the experience is usually to hurtful. I'm proud of you guys" their Angel friend added

 

 

 

"Heh, sweet. Then we can see our friends again. I'm glad our minds are strong enough now" Neku says smiling

 

 

 

"Me too Phones. Now there's something else l gotta tell you guys" Mr. H said while scratching his neck 

 

 

 

"Really, like what?" Neku said curious 

 

 

 

"Now just be careful while you're there. You can't expose the existence of the Higher Plane to the living world, it's one of the rules the Higher Ups made. People are meant to _wonder_ about death, not know that they're guaranteed another life once they die. After all, would you really be able to enjoy your existence there in the RG knowing you'll just start over again? Death gives purpose to Life." the angel said as a warning

 

 

"don't worry we'll be careful Mr. H" Shiki said reassuringly

 

 

"death gives purpose to life? ...I never thought of it like that before" Neku thought hanging onto his right shoulder

 

 

"Yeah it's sort of like the UG, if people knew that they could just end up there when they die or here in the Higher Plane, then there wouldn't be a point the RG. I can see why it's important to keep that secret...even if rules still annoy me. heh" Neku said to Mr. H with a smile

 

 

 

"Glad to hear it!" Mr. H said smiling "

 

 

 

Well I know you kiddies probably want some space to sort of cope with all the emotional stress you guys went through… when you feel ready call out to me there's something I need to tell each of you separately." the angel friend announces to them

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Separately?" Neku thought "Does it have to do with the war and if so… why would he not want Shiki to hear something in front of me?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"See ya later." Mr. H waves them good bye and teleports back to the Composer Domain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So how is he?" Joshua asked him

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku and Shiki seem to be feeling more at peace since they've accepted death. As painful as it was for them, I think it really helped Phones and Shiki to see themselves one last time." Mr. H reports

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Good… now do you think Shiki's ready to know why she's really here? If Neku loses control in the war he could try to kill her. As you know when a Human Soul begins to transform into a Demon they become more animalistic and have an instinct to kill any soul that is close to them and hunt down any form of energy, even other demons. They have no control over their actions… if this happened to Neku, it'd be almost like sleep walking." Joshua exclaims with his hands in his back pockets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah I know… and let's pretend this does happen, let's say the demon energy inside of him reacts to that point, What are we suppose to do? there's no way Shiki could neutralize all that energy at once. Especially while within the chaos of the war." Mr. H adds

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmmm, if that's the case we'll have to swap partners. I know you like fighting alongside me Mr. H but if Neku becomes that unstable, I'd have to be at full blast to neutralize the energy." Joshua responds with his hand on his chin

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Your sure Joshua? You know what could happen with him sensing all of that energy flowing." Mr. H warns him

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I know but being at full blast it'd be hard for Neku to really hurt me, so don't worry about it. if he gets unstable to that point I'll step in." Joshua says reassuringly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku…" Joshua thinks "Would he really break to that point? What would those demons do to him… what would they do that would push him to that point? It could be anything, Cedric saw Neku's energy and knew everything about him… and he was just a Mongrel yet he could look that deep into his energy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there's Clarissa, being a demon makes her automatically stronger than me and since her energy is apart of Neku…she could probably look as far back as when I made him play the Reapers' Game. Neku's been hurt by so many people and traumatized by so many things both before and during my game that, she could easily use all of that against him."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Joshua do you think she'll be able to handle it?" Mr. H asks trying to get the composer's focus back

 

 

 

 

 

"Hm? Oh you mean… that" Joshua exclaims "I really don't know, I mean look at her. You can see how much Neku means to her, so I don't know she could face the fact that… if Neku went full blast… if Neku became a Demon. That it'd be best to pretend she never knew him… that she couldn't get him back…."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua sighed and shook his head

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"this is gonna be really tough to explain" He remarks to the Angel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yup I hear that. Do you want me to handle it Boss?" Mr. H asks knowing that Joshua struggles with wording things nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"No I think I can handle it" Joshua said smugly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh Boss, just be careful how you tell her huh? lay it on her gently" Mr. H says rubbing his neck

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Don't worry Mr. H if Neku gets emotional triggering the Demon energy I'll let you step in" Joshua says with that cold laugh of his.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh alright Joshua." Mr. H says scratching his head.

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…


	22. Demonic Energy

Having now accepted death Shiki and Neku then begin to talk about what they should do since they have all eternity to be together…

 

 

 

 

 

"You know since we're gonna be here a while I feel like we need to make our little afterlife Shibuya more…well like home." Neku tells her

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah it's missing one little thing" she says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

The two friends then begin to focus their energy, and concentrate on their minds causing Neku to do his "focus" pose along with Shiki extending her hands forward with her eyes closed as well.

 

 

 

 

As the two friends concentrate on a single thought it then became real. Neku and Shiki had recreated their apartments but fused together. The left half was Neku's and the right was Shiki's. they then opened their eyes to see what they created…

 

 

 

 

"Um, pretty sure we messed up" Neku says feeling a little shy over the result

 

 

 Shiki then chucked 

 

"yeah this is obviously wrong. Especially since my apartment would be right outside of Shibuya, making the city just some walking distance away from me." She added 

 

"So...do you think you should change it? You know, make our apparnemts separate?" Neku asks with his smug smile with his left hand on his waist

 

"No. I actually think it's kinda cool Neku.. It's almost like we're roommates in collage or something heh, heh" Shiki says hugging Mr. Mew trying not to blush

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then began to scratch his head and chuckled saying

 

 

 

 

"Well when you put it that way, it is kinda cool but that's thinking pretty far ahead don't you think? Especially since we never got to finish Middle School."

 

 

 

 

"Oh… oh yeah. Heh it feels like it's been forever since we've been in school… not that I'm complaining." Shiki replies

 

 

 

 

The two friends then agree to keep their fused homes together and explored their halves of the apartment, amazed at how it was the same, to every last detail. It felt like they were really home. After exploring each half they then eventually step out of the apartment taking it all in, that it really was just like their homes when they were alive. However they wouldn't be able to rest for long…

 

 

 

 

Mr. H and Joshua watched them recreate their homes together and were very impressed seeing how Shiki could tap into her imagination the way that Neku taught her so effectively and montored them with what they wanted to do next. They see Neku and Shiki talk about Beat and Rhyme and how they miss them

 

 

"With all the crazy stuff that's been going on, it's been hard to really even think about the RG you know? But now, now that things are finally more calm...I can't help but miss them." Shiki said sadly

 

 

"Yeah same here" Neku said hiding his face in his bangs and hands in his pockets

 

 

"You know, we could check up on them now. After all, Mr. H said our minds should be able to handle it now, as long as don't do it too much" he added

 

 

Shiki then looked at him and smiled 

 

 

"That's right! Now we can finally see all of them again! I've been wondering how they've been getting along with Eri too" Shiki said happily

 

 

Neku then looks at her and smiled back

 

 

"Me too. Now we can see them again" he said happily

 

 

Shiki, (and unknown to either of them, Joshua and Mr. H) then see Neku do his usual concentration pose and make a window to the RG again appear on the floor and see Neku and Shiki then look into their window of the living world. They then see Beat, Rhyme and Eri walking together and headed toward's Ramen Don, noticing they look a little sad. As they walk towards the restaurant, Eri then starts a conversation with them.

 

 

"You know...I'm glad you guys still wanna do this. I was a little worried at first" Eri said in a sad tone of voice

 

 

"What do you mean?" Rhyme asked as she walked "Why would you be worried?"

 

 

They then stop walking

 

 

"it's just, I never got to really know you and Beat the way Neku and Shiki do. Ever since I learned what you all went through, I wanted to be your friends too. But now...everything's changed" Eri said hanging her head

 

 

Beat then, still trying to be tough, crosses his arms

 

 

"Yo dressy girl... it ain't gotta be like that. I get why you feelin' all outta whack 'n stuff but...we here too. I know it ain't the same widout them. So now we gotta live for them. I know Phones and Shiki would wantchu to be happy" Beat said firmly

 

Eri then looks at him shocked but then smiled

 

 

"Even when acting tough, I can tell...deep down he's trying to help" she thought

 

 

"Yeah...I may not know Neku like you guys do, but I really admire how he helped Shiki learn how to like herself. I don't know if I could ever forgive myself for what l did, how I accidentally hurt my own best friend. I never meant to do such a thing...but I know she's okay now. Thanks Beat" the fashion loving teen said smiling

 

Rhyme then giggled causing Eri to do the same and Beat to smile

 

"Dat's what's up. We know now thanks to all da crap from the Reapers' Game dat they could be seein' us yo. So I want Phones and Shiki to see us you know...makin' it through alla this. I know they ain't there and now they gone for real...but...they could still be here yo." Beat said happily

 

 

Eri then looked at Beat and giggled again

 

"You're right. That's why...even though it's hard, I want to feel better. I'm glad you guys are here...it helps" she says sincerely

 

Beat then scratches his head a little embarassed

 

"Heh, I...I feel good widchu 'n alla that too yo. I get why Shiki wanna be friends with you" He said a little shy

 

 

Rhyme then smiles and giggles again

 

"Beat may seem like a tough guy, but deep down, he's really nice" she adds

 

This then makes Beat scream

 

"BWAAAHAHAHA! YO RHYME QUIT IT! WHO'S SIDE YOU ON MAN?!" 

 

this makes Rhyme and Eri (even Neku and Shiki from the Higher Plane) laugh

 

 

"I'm glad they're trying to hang in there" Neku said to Shiki

 

 

"Me too. I was really worried about them" she added

 

 

"Same here" Neku said back

 

 

he then looks towards Eri

 

 

"Eri...even if we don't know each other, I wanna know you better some day." he says smiling to her

 

 

they then see Beat, Eri and Rhyme remember they were going to go eat together and head to Ken Doi's restaurant. He noticed that Neku hadn't been there for a while and wondered where he was.

 

"I don't know if he ever told you, but Neku and that friend of his...Joshua I think it was...they really helped me out. I owe the new success of my resturant to them. They're good kids" Ken Doi said happily 

 

 

His face then got a little sad 

 

 

"Do you know where they went? I would certainly hope nothing bad happened to those boys. I haven't seen  them in a while" he said worried

 

 

this then made Neku hang his head

 

 

"it...it really mattered that much? I never thought I really made a difference to people. heh...I guess I do" he thought feeling a little overwhelmed

 

 

 

Beat Eri and Rhyme then look sad as well and didn't want to upset Ken Doi so, as much as they didn't like the idea of it, they told a white lie.

 

 

"oh well...Neku hasn't been here for a while because...he's...on a trip that's all." Eri said smiling

 

 

"Yeah he's on a little vacation. So he'll probably be away from Shibuya for a while" Rhyme added trying to back up Eri

 

 

Beat, feeling overwhelmed stayed silent and let the girls do the talking

 

 

"Joshua is always around...he's always going to different spots in Shibuya. So he's okay too." Rhyme said reassuringly

 

Ken Doi then made Ramen for them and presented it to them 

 

 

"Irashai! That's wonderful to hear! I'm glad nothing bad has happened. Here's to their good health! I have your ramen all prepared for you all." Ken Doi said with a smile

 

he then asks about the girl in the green sweater and glasses that would also visit the resturant with Neku and the others

 

 

"Huh? oh...he must be talking about me." Shiki said to Neku

 

 

"Yeah...Ken Doi seems like a really caring guy huh?" Neku added with a little smile

 

Shiki then smiled back at him

 

 

"heh...he really does. Maybe that's why his food tastes so good. He's a really passionate guy...not just when it comes to cooking, but, in general" She adds happily

 

 

Neku then scratches his head

 

 

"I never really thought of it like that" he said shyly

 

 

Rhyme then adds that Shiki is okay too and also is very busy sewing clothes, that she likes trying to make them. Ken Doi then adds that that makes Shiki a very talented young lady. Eri adds that she sews with Shiki too. He then says that it's great to have a passion for something and that maybe one day, their clothes will be in 104 (Ten-Four)

 

This then made Neku and Shiki smile at each other. They then see their friends thanking Ken Doi for his concern over their friends and that they're happy that he makes such delicious ramen. After they finished eating they then pay the proper amount of Yen and then leave, making Neku imagine his window to the RG to disappear.

 

 

"I'm not so sure how to feel about how they lied about what happened to us" Neku said hiding his face and hands in his pockets "But I can understand why they did it"

 

 

"I know how you feel about that, I don't like lying either...but, they did that because it would hurt you know? it's obvious you helping him out really meant a lot to him" Shiki said sweetly

 

Neku then looks up at her and smiles with his left hand in his pocket and right hand upward

 

 

"Yeah...you're right. I never really thought of me helping them really doing anything. His ramen is pretty awesome though and I sure as hell preferred it over that lame competitor he had. I guess it was good that they lied, it would've been really screwed up to see him...you know...so I'm glad everyone's hanging in there" he said sincerely

 

"Same here Neku. I'm glad everyone's getting along. I've wanted Eri to really hang out with us you know? Not saying that I want them here...even if...in a way, I do. But I want them to live their lives and be happy. We'll see them again some day" Shiki said while holding Mr. Mew with her right hand and left hand upward 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H and Joshua then nodded in approval, glad that Neku and Shiki were able to handle seeing their friends in the RG again. They felt since Neku and Shiki were so at ease that now would be the best time to reveal to them the effects of Demon energy and how they're both in danger from it. Joshua then decides to contact Neku telepathically

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku, you need to know more about the demon energy flowing inside of you… you remember how Mr. H was going to talk to you two separately? This is what he wants you two to know… I'll be explaining instead of him due to how he's doing more research on the energy even as I tell you this. So get ready to be teleported to the Enlightens' realm alright? I'll then tell Shiki what he wanted her to know."

 

 

 

 

 

"alright Joshua I'll let Shiki know" Neku responds in his pose for concentrating

 

 

 

 

 

He then lowered his hands and opened his eyes.

 

 

 

 

"Neku? What's going on?" Shiki asks confused

 

 

 

 

"nothing, it was just Joshua saying that I need to know more about what's going on inside me, the demon energy flowing inside of me… he also said that he'd then talk to you." Neku replies

 

 

 

 

"oh… okay" Shiki says saddened at the thought of that energy in him. For a while it felt like he was fine, almost as if she had forgotten it was in him.

 

 

 

 

Sensing that sadness in her tone of voice he then smiles at her holding her hand.

 

 

 

 

 

"Don't worry Shiki, I'm fine. I'm just going to learn more about what it can do and its effects on me. Who knows? Maybe if I can learn more about it I can learn how to control it better you know? Not let it hurt me anymore."

 

 

 

 

Neku says with a smile he then pats her on the head causing Shiki to giggle.

 

 

 

 

"Okay, and thanks Neku" she replies happily

 

 

 

 

"heh, heh don't mention it. Enjoy the moment right?" he replies happily

 

 

 

 

"Right." she says back smiling

 

 

 

 

Neku then focuses again

 

 

 

 

"Okay Joshua, I'm ready." He tells him telepathically

 

 

 

 

"Alright I'm bringing you here now and don't worry I'll get Mr. H to set a barrier around Shiki so Demons won't get any ideas with her being alone" Joshua says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

"thanks" Neku thinks

 

 

 

 

He opens his eyes to see Joshua standing in front of him.

 

 

 

 

"So you sure you're ready? That you can really handle this Neku?" Joshua asks curiously

 

 

 

 

"Yeah, I'm sure Joshua." Neku says strongly

 

 

 

 

"Alright first of all you remember how you first got the demon energy in the first place right?" Joshua asks him

 

 

 

 

"Yeah…the demon that… that almost killed me, Cedric. He stabbed me in the stomach and I felt so weak that I thought I was about to pass out and then he electrocuted me sending his energy inside me…" Neku replied letting his bangs cover his eyes and hands in his pockets

 

 

 

 

"His energy didn't feel as… well… over powering as Clarissa's I could still feel him when it was just his power inside me, but I didn't feel like I could lose control."

 

 

 

 

"And then you had your second Demon encounter where you were nearly beaten to death again." Joshua adds in

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… that time I had a lot more demon energy flow into me. Clarissa...

 

 

 

 

Just saying her name sent chills down Neku's spine

 

 

 

"She, she kissed me on the lips but it felt like she was burning me to the point I felt my eyes squinting in pain and suddenly felt them widen as the it worsened… and the way she looked at me, when our eyes met, it was like she liked seeing me suffer. She then grabbed my collar and started electrocuting me… If I hadn't had used that technique Mr. H taught me, I probably would've faced Soul Obstruction" he said weakly

 

 

 

 

"She then attacked me, punching in the stomach and face with demon energy amplifying the impact of her attacks… they… they hurt pretty badly Joshua. Even more than when the Noise and Reapers would attack. I honestly thought was about to die." he said a little nervous

 

 

 

 

 

At this point Neku took a deep breath trying to calm down, just thinking about her makes him uncomfortable.

 

 

 

 

 

"And then she attacked you again and found you in Spain Hill. Do you remember what she did?" Joshua asked

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah she charged up Demon energy again… with that smile of hers… like she wants to see me scream… she then tried to attack me with it but I blocked it with my right hand causing it to go inside of me again. The last thing she did was flick my forehead flicking at some of my bangs at the same time" he said weakly 

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then manages to uncover his face to look at his friend wondering what he'll say next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmmm, that sounds like where the problem could get out of hand. All of that energy flowing inside of you. You had two demons attack you and it seems that their energies must've fused together. Making the energy stronger Neku." Joshua informs him

 

 

 

 

 

"they...fused together?" Neku asked confused

 

 

 

 

 

"Yes, usually this sort of thing doesn't happen, usually only one demon attack is enough to kill a Fledgling which is why they send their energy into the Fledglings to speed up the Soul Obstruction process, so they'll die sooner." Joshua explains

 

 

 

 

 

"But Joshua, I was already about to die… if… If you and Mr. H hadn't come when you did I'd… I'd be dead. I would've died at that point." Neku replied sadly 

 

 

 

 

 

"While you're right about that, it's because of how strong you are as energy, you didn't Fade as fast as other Spirits Neku. If any other spirit went through what you did, they would've died instantly." He says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

 

That information, that statement that Joshua had told him, that he really is strong made him stare with disbelief.

 

 

 

 

 

"Joshua…" Neku says holding onto his shoulder "you really think that's why I survived?"

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua then flicked his hair "I don't think it Neku, I know it. You're my Proxy after all, I chose you because of your strong imagination remember?"

 

 

 

 

"Heh, heh, yeah… so what's going on? what happens when Demon energy fuses Joshua?" Neku asks hoping he could handle what he'd say

 

 

 

 

 

"well, when you were attacked the first time by that other Demon the Demon Mistress, and she poured a lot of her demon energy in you, it merged it with Cedric's energy making it stronger. Hmmmm how should I put this?" Joshua exclaims with his hand on his chin.

 

 

 

 

"It's much like when you plug a guitar into an amplifier Neku." Joshua says with a smug smile

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then gasped as he made the connection

 

 

 

 

 

"so you're saying that by having Cedric and Clarissa's energy inside of me, it was like Cedric began to amplify her power, and because of how she's a really powerful demon that he made her even stronger?" Neku exclaims in shock

 

 

 

 

"Heh, I knew that would help you understand Neku, and that's exactly why you're at risk." he says with his hands in his back pockets

 

 

 

 

"At risk?" Neku repeats worried 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yes, there's so much of that energy in you that it leaked out twice Neku… it began to feed off of your anger. Whether you realize it or not, when a human feels an emotion their energy reacts to it. Similar to how anger can cause an adrenaline rush. In the Higher Plane it does the same thing but on a much larger scale." The Composer says

 

 

 

 

 

"It's so the point… this could overwhelm you. The Demon energy could corrupt you, destabilizing your energy and mind to the point you become a Demon. That's what Clarissa wants. She wants you Neku." Joshua says crossing his arms.

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then squeezed hair cringing as he was filled with anxiety realising how he's almost become a demon twice and how his friends are in danger around him, causing black fire to appear.

 

 

 "No! So they're all in danger of being around me?! No matter what l do I could still kill them?! I thought l was finally starting to control it but I'm not!"

 

Neku then imagines himself with his demon claws hurting all his friends, including Beat, Eri and Rhyme

 

 

"DAMMIT!" he roared "SO YOU'RE SAYING I COULD LOSE MYSELF TO THIS ENERGY?!? THAT I'LL GO CRAZY?!? WHAT ABOUT SHIKI WHAT ABOUT YOU AND MR. H? WHAT'LL HAPPEN TO ME IF I--"

 

 

 

 

 

"NEKU!" Joshua roared causing him to open his eyes and the fire to go away.

 

 

 

 

 

(in all honesty he was surprised that just calling his name made the energy stabilize he was sure he was going to have to get Mr. H)

 

 

 

 

"You need to calm down. The energy just now tried to consume you. If you can't do this alone, then do it for Shiki and Mr. H Neku. If the energy completely devours you…you might target them… you might try to kill them." The Composer said seriously 

 

 

And l know how much you want to see Beat, Eri and Rhyme again. So do this for them, you have to control yourself" Joshua explains

 

 

 Neku then looked at him in shock knowing that even if he got to see Beat,Rhyme and Eri again that all his friends are in danger of being killed by him

 

 

"WHAT?!?" Neku yelled terrified "GET THIS CRAP OUT OF ME! I don't want to hurt them or YOU! I don't want to do something I have no control over! GET THIS OUT OF ME! JOSHUA YOU HAVE TO!"

 

 

 

 

Joshua then lowered his head and sighed

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku… I can't" he replies "…You see, when demon energy flows into a Human Soul and begins to corrupt them, it literally merges with that being, it becomes apart of them. And in your case, l can sense she's placed her energy in your head, making it part of your mind. On top of that, they become more animalistic as the energy takes over, just like how you did when the energy took over you twice. You ran on all fours and had sharp claws--" Joshua explains getting cut off

 

 

 

 Neku then takes a deep breath and calms down 

 

 

 

"You mean, the transformation? That part I remember… but when it's done I don't remember anything except for that I felt really angry." Neku says with his right hand in his pocket and left palm upward

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"that's due to how the energy shuts down that person's mind Neku. Allowing you to attack… and kill anyone that gets in your way, and like I said earlier. I can't get it out of you." Joshua adds in with his arms crossed

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then felt heartache knowing that he's a threat to his friends knowing how he could kill them at anytime causing him to hide his face in his collar and hand sin his pockets

 

 

 

 

 

"why… why can't you help… why can't this go away?" he asks weakly

 

 

 

 

 

"Because… that would be like saying to make a deadly infection with no cure, go away Neku." Joshua says sharply

 

 

 

 

 

Neku's eyes widen with shock as he looked up at Joshua in his shocked pose.

 

 

 

 

 

"N-NO!" he shrieked "You mean… I'll have this forever? That this power is just gonna eat away at me until there's nothing left? That you can only slow down the process… but not remove it ?"

 

 

 

 

 

"That's pretty much it Neku… that's all we can do, me Mr. H and Shiki--" Joshua explains

 

 

 

 

 

"Shiki?! You mean… she's been protecting me this whole time? She's been protecting me from losing myself?" Neku says weakly

 

 

 

 

 

"Exactly.  That's why I brought her here… to help you stay stable. Shiki was the one who had that first impact on your soul. So l knew she would have a strong connection to you." Joshua says

 

 

"Regardless of how in doing so, you punched me in the face." he adds in with a smug look on his face

 

 

 

 

"Joshua…" Neku says clasping his shoulder "All this time… you… you were helping me, watching my back… and how do I repay you? By punching you right in the mouth…I…I didn't know."

 

 

 

 

Joshua then let out that cold laugh of his

 

 

 

 

"Oh come on Neku, l did it for my own reasons. I'm just doing what I can to stop the war. We can't have you go berserk and start trying to kill the Angels, Enlightens, and other Composers right?" he says flicking his hair.

 

 

 

 

"Right… so why is Clarissa in my mind? What does she really want from me Joshua?" He asks nervously.

 

 

 

 

"well, from the research Mr. H has been doing I now know that she wants to corrupt you Neku. She wants to have complete control over you and make you the most powerful demon in existence… the Demon Lord. You're her back up plan if they lose the war that is" Joshua says with his hand on his chin

 

 

 

 

Neku than gasped out of fear knowing how powerful she is… knowing that she could make that happen… that he could lose himself.

 

 

 

 

"no…" he says weakly

 

 

 

 

"what the hell am I suppose to do?! What if that happens Joshua… what'll happen to me if… if she gets her way?" Neku asks nervously

 

 

 

 

 

"You'd be broken beyond repair… no one could save you." Joshua says coldly

 

 

 

 

He was frozen just trying to take in what Joshua has told him

 

 

 

 

"I'd be screwed" he thought "there's nothing anyone could do?… Not even the Composer of Shibuya?… no one… I'd… I'd be lost…"

 

 

 

 

At this point Neku's irises shook as he was filled with shock…and sadness "Shiki…" he thought "What's gonna happen to you? If I went full blast if… if I went full demon… would I try to kill you? …I wouldn't be able to stop… I'd have no control…"

 

 

 

 

Neku then began to tremble with heartache overflowing, clenching his teeth with his hands balled up into fists.

 

 

 

 

"I...I don't want to be a killer" he says fighting back tears

 

 

 

 

"Hmmm did I say it too strongly?" Joshua wondered in his head

 

 

 

 

"Neku… are you really giving up over this?" he asks puzzled with his hand on his chin

 

 

 

 

"huh?" Neku looked at him confused

 

 

 

 

"Have you forgotten?" he replies still puzzled

 

 

 

 

"give up on yourself, and you give up on the world" He replies with a smug look

 

 

 

 

"Joshua…." Neku says quietly

 

 

 

 

"Hm?" Joshua responds

 

 

 

 

"Thanks" Neku replies with a little smile

 

 

 

"Oh… um…it's nothing Neku.. just a little phrase" he crossing his arms

 

 

To be continued…


	23. Demonic Energy (Part 2)

Neku looked at Joshua in shock seeing him not trying to make fun of him or tease him. It was the first time he'd seen Joshua so serious other then the time he revealed himself to be the composer before Neku.

 

 

 

"Heh heh, I guess so" Neku says weakly

 

 

 

"So you're all set right?" Joshua asks "You're ready to go back?"

 

 

 

"Yeah.. I am" Neku says gazing at his hands wondering how strong the energy coursing through them is.

 

 

 

"Good now don't for get what we talked about Neku… Stay in control of yourself. Joshua then says in a sarcastic tone of voice flicking his hair "and if at all possible try to avoid getting mad hm?"

 

 

 

Neku then took a deep breath and sighed while Joshua looked at him surprised seeing him completely calm instead of being annoyed by him.

 

 

 

 

"Don't worry Joshua… I will." he says with a little smile

 

 

 

 

Joshua then teleports Neku back to the Fledgling district to see Shiki in the barrier, and begins to wonder why he was giving Neku advice…

 

 

 

 

"Ugh I don't understand this. Why is it that when Neku feels overwhelmed or confused I just instantly give him advise?… Especially since it's more fun messing with him and occasionally lying to him"

 

 

 

 

Joshua wondered with his hand overlapping his mouth

 

 

 

 

"It's cause you got a conscience Boss" Mr. H responds hearing Joshua's thoughts

 

 

 

 

"Neku's kinda like you, even you picked up on that when you were in the UG remember?" He says nudging Joshua in the arm

 

 

 

 

"Yes I do. But still, I was there just to protect and strengthen my Proxy to win my bet nothing more…" Joshua replies smugly

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then sighed and scratched his head.

 

 

 

 

"Oh come on Joshua ya can't fool me with that kinda talk. I know deep down you understand Phones and how just like him, you know what it's like to be alone and you understood his views on society how they could force their values on you and pressure to want to change." Mr. H says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

"I know Mr. H but I was just using him he helped me win my bet against Megumi remember? I was going to destroy Shibuya and even give him a chance to become the next Composer of the city, but …he refused." Joshua says thoughtfully

 

 

 

 

"And you know why don't you Joshua? It's cause you're his friend no matter how hurt he felt cause of what you did, how angry he was, he couldn't bring himself to kill you… and then you spared the city shocking all of the higher-ups and me Boss." The Angel said teasingly

 

 

 

 

"I think deep down inside ya you see him as a friend Josh. Heh heh. You know he's gonna ask you right? Why you weren't at Hachiko when they returned to the RG, you know he wanted you to be there…" Mr. H says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah I know… but it's like you told me, regardless of your wishful thinking of me a Composer, being friends with a measly little human, it's like you said: It's their world, they get to decide what to do with it

 

 

 

 

"So even if we were friends" Joshua continues "it's their world not mine, my home is the Higher Plane."

 

 

 

 

"hah ha, come on Josh I know you. I know deep down you wanted to stay… you were so mad about losing the bet that you didn't talk to me.. Heh but think there's more to it than that Boss." Mr. H insisted

 

 

 

 

"well" Joshua chuckled "think that all you want Mr. H" he says smiling smugly laughing coldly

 

 

 

 

"heh, alright Joshua you win… heh some people just don't know when to take some advice" he sighed scratching his head "I'll go get the young lady now"

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then snapped his fingers and transformed into a ball of light and flew to the fledgling district where Neku and Shiki began talking…

 

 

 

 

"Hey Shiki is the barrier holding up okay?" Neku asks glad to be with her again knowing that he's safe.

 

 

 

 

"Yeah Mr. H contacted me telling me he's coming to let me out. You okay?" She asks noticing he looks a little pale

 

 

 

 

 

"Y-yeah I'm okay…" Neku says not wanting to tell her everything Joshua revealed about the demon energy flowing within him

 

 

 

 

At that moment they then saw a ball of light turn into a human

 

 

 

 

"Hey you guys" Mr. H says laid back as usual

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H!" they both exclaimed from his sudden appearance

 

 

 

 

 

"So now it's your turn Phones" Mr. H says smiling

 

 

 

 

"My turn for what?" He asks confused

 

 

 

 

"To go in the barrier of course, we can't let any demons come near ya after all" he says smiling, in doing so Neku then felt better and was more at ease

 

 

 

 

"Oh okay" Neku says smiling relived that he'll be safe from the energy consuming him in the barrier without Shiki there to neutralize it.

 

 

 

 

Shiki then steps out smiling at him as he walked inside.

 

 

 

"So I guess then you're all set?" Neku asked her from within it

 

 

 

 

"Yeah I'll be back soon Neku." Shiki says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah and don't worry Phones as long as you're in there, you're safe so don't go wandering around now 'kay?" Mr. H says in a scolding tone

 

 

 

 

"Don't worry I wont" Neku says laying down on the floor

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh good idea Phones, taking a nap is a good way to relax" Mr. H says hinting him why he needs to remain calm.

 

 

 

 

"so I'll let ya catch some Z's and I'll take Shiki to the Enlighten Realm see ya later"

 

 

 

 

 

"alright see you soon." Neku says to them both "…It's funny" Neku thought "I feel almost peaceful in here… is this what Angel energy is? Calming and soothing…like… nothing can go wrong? Heh, heh if so then… I like it. I hope this lasts forever… this peace that I feel"

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then places his hand on Shiki as she closes her eyes, when he does the same they then teleport to that realm, as he did this he then explained that Joshua needed some time to himself and that he was fine but was just thinking about something.

 

 

 

 

 

They then appear within the Enlighten District

 

 

 

 

 

"So what's so important that me and Neku couldn't be together Mr. H? you said it yourself, we make each other stronger… so wouldn't it make more sense for us to be together as we talk right now?" Shiki asks confused

 

 

 

 

 

"Well yes… but that's what I wanted to talk to you about… about Neku. You need to know what's going on inside him, and why you're really here Shiki. If Phones was here right now being empowered by you, in addition to dealing with what Joshua told him…it might've been too much for him to handle Shiki and might've lost control of himself, so for his protection I went and set up that barrier for you and mainly him." He explains

 

 

 

 

 

"lost control of himself?" Shiki asked confused remembering seeing him grow claws and pounce at Joshua… then threatening to snap Clarissa's neck

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah I'm sure you noticed it Shiki, whenever Neku gets mad or frustrated and I mean really frustrated, that he starts to growl and gets those slash marks and starts to act like an animal?" Mr. H adds in

 

 

 

 

 

"y-yeah I remember" Shiki says hanging her head remembering how monstrous he had become

 

 

 

 

 

"well that's all because of a certain energy flowing inside him… Demon Energy. He explains

 

 

 

 

 

"Demon energy? Neku, he mentioned that when he first saw me dead in the Higher Plane making him so hurt that he tried to attack Joshua saying that he killed me and he… he begged me to get away from him." She says sadly

 

 

 

 

"That's cause he was trying to protect you Shiki… that energy inside of him is very dangerous and has the potential of really hurting him." Mr. H says scratching his neck

 

 

 

 

 

"What?!" Shiki roared "How Mr. H? How does that hurt him?! Where did he even get that in the first place?!"

 

 

 

 

"You mean you haven't noticed?" He asks curiously

 

 

 

 

"Well I know it hurts him physically, when Neku gets those slash marks on his wrists that go up to his shoulders, he starts to cringe in pain from those slashes." She says squeezing Mr. Mew "Does it hurt him even more?!" she asked horrified

 

 

 

 

"Sadly yes. You see when Phones first arrived to the Higher Plane he wasn't lucky like you where you were able to meet me and Joshua again and we got to tell ya that Phones was here. When he first arrived here he was exhausted from the trip just like you and unfortunately for him, he didn't get to meet up with us right away…Mr. H informs her

 

 

 

 

so in addition to how he felt so weak and tired from traveling to the Higher Plane, he was also overwhelmed with confusion and frustration not sure where he is or why he's in the Higher Plane. It's because of this his energy spiked up and began to surge from his intense emotions… attracting a Demon." Mr. H informs her grimly

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then began to widen her eyes

 

 

 

 

 

"NO!" she cried "WAS THE DEMON AS STRONG AS CLARISSA?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then placed his hands on her shoulders

 

 

 

 

"don't worry Shiki it's okay" he says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

"okay?" she repeats confused

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah see me and Joshua got to Phones just in time and no, the demon wasn't as strong as Clarissa thankfully. Infact he was a Mongrel, the weakest form of Demons… kinda like a Fledgling really. The demon Phones encountered was named Cedric, he overwhelmed Phones with his presence causing him to become very fatigued." Mr. H said worried

 

 

 

 

'To add salt to the wound he then even stabbed Phones filling him with so much pain that his energy was exposed and generated demon energy so intense it became lightning that burned through his funnel collar chocking poor Phones by the neck." He says sadly

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku…" Shiki thinks fearfully

 

 

 

 

"You see Shiki when that demon did that to Phones he was transferring his energy to him, trying to kill him… Phones's energy was so unstable it was starting to break apart. If me and Joshua hadn't had arrived when we did… well…"

 

 

 

 

"no… you mean Neku almost died?" she said eyes watering

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… But I made him all better." He says patting her head smiling causing her to giggle

 

 

 

 

"so is that why Neku's hurting cause of that energy?" She asked curiously

 

 

 

 

"Well, no remember when Phones felt a really powerful presence of a Demon and pushed you out of the way?" Mr. H reminds her

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah I saw some girl with platinum blonde hair in a black dress and looked about 18. I saw her generate black fire around Neku… and when she revealed her true form to him it made me feel nauseous and I passed out. When I woke up I saw Neku was about to collapse" Shiki says mournfully

 

 

 

 

"That girl is the one who's hurting him… the one you tried to fight when you were in your Enlighten form. When he first encountered her, she scared him by invading his personal space and started to mess with Phones…"

 

 

 

 

The mere thought of him being so afraid made her eyes water

 

 

 

 

"what did she do to Neku?" she asked wiping the tears from her face

 

 

 

 

"well" Mr. H says scratching his neck "She send demon energy into him through his mouth…. She kissed him electrocuting Phones to the point he was screaming.

 

 

 

 

"WHAT?! SHE… SHE KISSED NEKU ON THE LIPS AND…. She electrocuted him…" she responds fearful of knowing what else she did to him

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then scratched his head again and sighed

 

 

 

 

"she then began to choke Neku electrocuting him to the point he was crying as he screamed in pain making his energy so unstable that it began to look like lightening…however Phones retaliated with an Angel technique I taught him.

 

 

 

 

He generated his energy into orbs launching Clarissa. But when Phones tried to charge up the attack again she charged up demon energy punching him in the stomach and face. Attacking with such force that he slammed his body into the glass floor of the HP Shibuya cutting his body…because of all of the pain he was in all Phones could do was curl up into a ball wheezing in pain, watching his energy break apart… by then I had seen enough…"

 

 

 

 

"So you saved Neku!" she says happily

 

 

 

 

 

"You bet. I wasn't gonna let our pal die like that." Mr. H says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

"but then you see, when she attacked you guys again you were knocked out by the Demon energy she unleashed. Phones was still in his Enlighten form when that happened, so he did all he could to protect you from her." Mr. H added

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku…" she thinks shocked as she tries to take everything in

 

 

 

 

 

"Clarissa had unfortunately found you and Phones had brought you to Spain Hill remember?" Mr. H said to her

 

 

 

 

"yeah I do" she responds

 

 

 

 

"Well Phones was exhausted and only half Enlighten by the time he got there. Clarissa then tried to attack him, generating Demon Energy in her hand. but he blocked her with his hand sending more demon energy inside of him. She then flicked Phones's forehead sending her energy into his mind. I only know all of this thanks to Joshua watching over you, and on top of that the two demon energies have fused together making it even stronger." Mr. H explains

 

 

 

 

"What?! The-the energy's' in his MIND?! THEY'VE FUSED TOGETHER?! And Joshua, why didn't he help?! And what's gonna happen to Neku now that all that energy is inside of him Mr. H?!" Shiki asked in shock

 

 

 

 

"Shiki take a deep breath and relax" he tells her

 

 

 

 

Shiki then did as he instructed

 

 

 

 

"First of all Joshua's in well…trouble. He did some bad stuff and because of it he has very restricted access to the RG and Higher Plane, in addition to that, the Reapers Game in Shibuya has been cancled too… and as for Phones, that's where you come in. Me and Joshua agreed that he would need you if we were to keep the Demon Energy at bay." Mr. H explains

 

 

 

 

"M-me?" Shiki asks confused

 

 

 

"Yeah when Phones is with you, you neutralize the demon energy inside of him. You make it stable, instead of it trying to corrupt him. You are the reason why Neku's still safe…" he says smiling patting her on the back

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki was in shock she had no idea that she really means that much to him. That she keeps him safe.

 

 

 

 

While they discuss the problem with Neku in the Enlighten realm, Neku begins to have problems of his own in his Shibuya…

 

 

 

 

Neku was asleep within the barrier creating a warm white light around him. He had never felt so relaxed… it almost led to laziness, like Neku could just sleep on the floor forever. However this peace didn't last as he began to hear a voice

 

 

 

 

"Hi Neku…" the female voice chuckled

 

 

 

 

Neku instantly awoke as he gasped from the familiarity of the voice

 

 

 

 

"Clarissa?!" he exclaimed in shock

 

 

 

 

"Where the hell are you?! Come out dammit! Don't you hide from me…. You can't scare me!" he declared

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh I beg to differ Neku… but I'm right here inside your mind" she says softly causing him to get chills

 

 

 

 

"Grrr SHUT UP!" He roared squeezing his hair "How the hell did this happen?! What did you do?!

 

 

 

 

"Heh, you're so oblivious sometimes Neku. When I flicked your forehead silly, that's when I let myself in." She responds slyly she then unleashed a bit of her energy causing Neku's head to start pounding, screaming in pain and broke the barrier.

 

 

 

 

 

"Nnnnngh! Dammit!" he roared "my head…" Neku then felt weak and out of breath causing him to pant.

 

 

 

 

 

Sensing this in the Enlightened Realm Mr. H knew he needed to reveal to Shiki what Clarissa wants to do to him…

 

 

 

 

 

"However… you've only seen what the energy can do when it leaked out twice. You know, when Neku became more animalistic as a side affect from the energy shutting down Neku's mind" he adds in

 

 

 

 

"You mean it gets even worse?!" she cried

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah if the Demons lose the war Clarissa's going to try to overwhelm Phones and transform him into the most powerful demon in existence…the Demon Lord." Mr. H says darkly

 

 

 

 

"Hang in there kiddo, you can do it" he thinks

 

 

 

 

"What?! NOOOO! We can't let her do that, we have to take the energy out of him we have t--" Shiki screams

 

 

 

 

 

"We can't Shiki. The energy is apart of Phones now. ...It's like an infection or disease. I can only slow it down… but Phones, he could go full Demon Shiki… and if he does, during the transformation he'll become so violent he could try to kill you." Mr. H reveals

 

 

 

 

The very thought of it made her eyes water.

 

 

 

 

"NO! NEKU….I… I'M NOT GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN!" Shiki yells at him

 

 

 

 

"Shiki" Mr. H sighed "you need to understand if he goes full blast… if he became a Demon Lord. His mind would become so broken he wouldn't even remember you… and on top of that now Clarissa has access to his memories and could make that happen at any time! Shiki… if he got that strong, he wouldn't hesitate to kill you. It'd be as if you never met him…"

 

 

 

 

 

Those words stung her making tears go down her face

 

 

 

 

"if it gets to that point Shiki… you'd be better off pretending you never knew him" Mr. H says sadly

 

 

 

Shiki couldn't believe it hearing Mr. H of all people say that.

 

 

 

 

"what?!… no…I'm…his friend. I can't do that… YOU WANT ME TO ABANDON HIM?!? JUST LEAVE HIM LIKE ALL HIS "FRIENDS" DID?! I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP ON NEKU! I'M NOT GOING TO END UP LIKE THOSE PEOPLE THAT HURT HIM I'M NOT--"

 

 

 

 

Shiki then felt Mr. H's warm White energy calm her down as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

 

 

 

 

"I've done research on the effects, they're irreversible…I've even witnessed some friends of mine become Demons that's how I know. I did everything I could to save them… but I couldn't. they tried to attack me....they tried to kill me. Now granted although pretty much anything is possible in the Higher Plane especially when using Imagination… but this is one of those things… that can't be fixed Shiki… it's permanent." Mr. H says sadly

 

 

 

 

"Ne…ku" shiki said with a tear going down her face

 

 

 

 

"He'd… he'd really be lost… Neku… he'd be trapped in his sadness again" she thought filled with grief

 

 

 

 

As she began to calm down she began to feel Neku's presence and how hurt and weak it felt.

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H!" Shiki cried "Something's wrong with Neku!"

 

 

 

 

"what?! What's going on?" Mr. H exclaimed

 

 

 

 

"Did I take too long?" he thought

 

 

 

 

Neku screamed louder and louder as the pounding in his head got more intense causing him to pant.

 

 

 

 

 

"Stop… it… it hurts…" he says aloud weakly squeezing his hair

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh but Neku how will you get use to my energy if you don't feel me?" she says in her kind gentle voice

 

 

 

 

"You know as I hang out inside your mind I can learn more about you such as your ironic love for CAT." she exclaims

 

 

 

 

"Ngh!… what do you mean…ironic?" he says weakly

 

 

 

 

"Oh you mean Mr. H hasn't told you…" she says gently "how he contributed to your death?"

 

 

 

Neku then gasped filled with horror and shock. He instantly opens his eyes widened from his fear and began to see his vision blur… he was crying from the very idea of it…

 

 

 

 

"what do you mean…Ngh! What do you mean he contributed… to my death?" he asks weakly overwhelmed by pain and heartache

 

 

 

 

To be continued…


	24. Almost Shattered

Clarissa was filled with joy seeing how merely messing with CAT made Neku's mind become a little unstable she knew she had to push him a bit more, so she could put her back up plan into action if necessary. In a way she almost wants to lose the war, it's almost as if the moment she met Neku suddenly he became the top priority…

 

 

 

 

"Oh Neku, how well do you honestly know Mr. H?" she asks sweetly

 

 

 

 

"I…I don't know him Ngh!… that well" He responds sadly tears going down his face "But… Mr. H he's…he's my friend, CAT is my friend. I know he wouldn't hurt me."

 

 

 

 

 

"See that's where you're wrong sweety. Mr. H, CAT is no different than any other company… he was sending subliminal messages through all of the media CAT covers… but it was especially his graffiti Neku." Clarissa says calmly

 

 

 

 

"What?!" He cried in shock "NO! CAT doesn't try to brainwash people, CAT doesn't do anything wrong! His moto, he promotes enjoying the moment and living how you want to live. It's like CAT's Slogan: Do what you want, how you want, when you want"

 

 

 

 

"True, but why do you believe so strongly in that slogan? Because he MADE YOU believe it! Are you familiar with Imprinting Neku?" she asks sweetly

 

 

 

 

Neku began to squeeze his hair even tighter, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

 

 

 

 

 

"NO! Mr. H, CAT…. It's not true, I know… Ngh! I know he wouldn't do that… and… yeah I know how to imprint…well really I…I knew how to do it… back in the Reapers' Game." Neku replied

 

 

 

 

"Well, Angels can imprint on a much larger scale… through art and music." she announces to him.

 

 

 

The mere thought of art and music being abused by him made Neku gasp with shock.

 

 

 

 

"He imprinted…on me? He… he actually forced the idea in my head?" he asks in shock

 

 

 

 

Clarissa then appears to him as black smoke before transforming to her human form, wanting to see his heartache first hand, causing Neku to look up at her with anger

 

 

 

 

 

"Yes Neku… he used command codes in the graffiti, sending them deep within the minds of humans who were artistic enough to take in the message… who's minds were strong enough to react to it." she says with a crooked smile

 

 

 

 

"Minds… that are artistic? You mean… people who appreciate art and music?… people like me?" Neku asked overwhelmed with hurt

 

 

 

 

"This… this can't be true" he thought "it can't"

 

 

 

 

"Yes" she responded

 

 

 

 

"Creative people tend to have very strong imaginations after all." She said slyly

 

 

 

 

the sinister demon then continued to confuse and hurt Neku

 

 

 

 

 

"he used two codes while imprinting, one of them was to increase the imagination of the people drawn to the graffiti, to make them stronger, it was to:  **enjoy the moment more**." She explained

 

 

 

 

"No...that was why I'd go there?" Neku thought sadly

 

 

 

 

 

The second one, was to attract the artistic people together Neku… to:  **Gather** them at that spot" Clarissa said smiling at Neku's frustration

 

 

 

 

The moment she spoke the code **Gather** it made Neku cringe as he started to come to the realization as to why he died in Udagawa.

 

 

 

 

"no…" Neku says weakly "Mr. H… why?"

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry Neku… but do you see why now? Why you would go to Udagawa every day after school? Because you were drawn to the message Imprinted in the tag mural." she says smiling

 

 

 

 

"How… how do you know all of this?" Neku asks sadly as his eyes began to burn from building up even more tears.

 

 

 

 

"because… I at one point… was an Angel Neku." she says darkly

 

 

 

 

 

"What?! but then how did you change? Did you… did you see Mr. H do all of that?" He asks in disbelief

 

 

 

 

"well in a way yes… I was tired of their superior, and stuck up sort of attitude and would spend time looking into the RG missing the life I once had. I was eventually consumed by that grief and went to the Demon realm. They all act like they're the best. The most superior to all beings" Clarissa snarled

 

 

 

 

"after all, the Composer's job is to pass judgment upon mankind… seeing how the humans have progressed. But due to how this would be an extremely difficult task for him to handle on his own, there's a filter. A way to test the strength of humans…do you know what it is?" she asks with her crooked smile again

 

 

 

 

 

"no…" Neku whimpered "Joshua… I… I'm really that worthless to you? The Reapers' Game…that's what it's really for?"

 

 

 

 

"Unfortunately yes. I was tired of seeing to many humans face Erasure, so I felt like I didn't belong in the Higher Plane anymore. So when I left and transformed into a demon I noticed an Angel acting suspiciously…." she replies

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H…" Neku says filled with melancholy "what was he doing?"

 

 

 

 

"well… he was doing something Angel's are not allowed to do silly! He interfered with the Game, and on top of that the Higher-Ups gave him permission to interfere just a little… he taught the second Game Master how to make a powerful breed of Noise… Taboo Noise." she said placing her hand on Neku's back watching him tremble on the ground.

 

 

 

 

At this point the pounding in his head stopped he was overwhelmed by heartache to the point it was gut-wrenching filling him with rage for being backstabbed again…but now it was by the man he respected the man he admired so deeply… he felt hollow, like Neku had a hole in his chest.

 

 

 

 

Neku then began to growl… the demon energy began to consume him

 

 

 

 

 

"Damn it…" he said darkly "why did he do that? Does Mr. H know how tough those bastards were to kill?! Why did he teach Pi-Face how to make Taboo Noise?!" Neku screamed enraged

 

 

 

 

"Why to kill the Composer of course!" Clarissa said smiling

 

Hearing Mr. H wanting to do such a thing made Neku feel like he couldn't breathe, as he looked down towards the ground 

 

 

"But...Joshua's supposed to be...l thought Mr. Hanekoma saw Joshua as his friend. Why would he stab him in the back?! How could he do that to him?!" Neku thought in disbelief 

 

Clarissa then continues 

 

"Then the second game master… Sho Minamimoto I believe he was called… unleashed the level I Flare attempting to kill you, and destroying himself in the process, he merged with the Taboo energy and became half Taboo Noise Neku." She said slyly

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H was hoping this would make him strong enough to kill Joshua if necessary and make him the new Composer to save Shibuya." She responds running her fingers through her hair

 

 

 

 

 

Neku couldn't believe it, his teeth began to sharpen as the energy consumed him more. At this point, he was crying to the point his breath became choppy and he began to breath heavily as he cried

 

 

 

 

"On top of this" she added "Mr. H is the Producer of the Reapers' game"

 

 

 

 

"NOOOOOOOOO!" he roared looking at her with bright red eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

"Since the Higher Plane likes music terms so much, like Composer, Conductor, Producer… the Music Producer of an album is the one who oversees the creation of the music for the musician. Helping them perfect their creations…so if that's the case then..then Mr. H he… HE HELPED MAKE THE REAPERS' GAME! WHY?! WHY DID HE DO THAT?! HE SAID THAT JOSHUA DIDN'T RUN THE GAME RIGHT, AND HOW JOSHUA HIMSELF TOLD ME THE REAPERS' GAME ISN'T SUPPOSE TO BE BAD… NOT A PUNISHMENT! SO THEN WHY… WHY DID HE DO THAT?!

 

 

 

 

 

Black fire began to engulf Neku and his eyes glowed bright red as if he was possessed by the red skull pin.

 

 

 

 

 

"I don't know sweety. But what I do know is actually, as the Producer, THIS is what Sanae's job was: As the Producer of the Reapers' Game he is only involved in the Game through watching the Composer." Clarissa said in a sweet voice

 

 

 

 

"I merely watched the game from the demon realm wondering why he was able to get away with the illegal things he did… it's because of his actions that he was stripped of his title as Guardian Angel and became a Fallen Angel, meaning that they are deemed bad, or unclean." she says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

By now Neku had had enough…

 

 

 

 

 

his skin began to become solid as if he has actual flesh again but it was gray covered in the black slash marks causing him to scream as the slashes went up to his shoulders and his hair began to fade to a dark gray color, and his claws became much longer nearly at three inches…

 

 

 

 

"Shut up…" he growled "You… you're… wrong. You… you know nothing about CAT… it's a trick, you're just trying to mess with me.

 

 

 

 

"it's a lie" he whimpered "it's a lie! IT'S A LIE!"

 

 

 

 

 

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CAAAAAAAT!"

 

 

 

 

 

As Neku screamed this to her he then smacked her hand off of his back and pounced at her causing her to teleport behind him and slash him in the face with her claws causing him to smash into the glass floor again.

 

 

 

This caused some of the glass dig into his legs and arms while also tearing his shirt.

 

 

 

 

But he didn't care and got up and charged at her on all fours charging up demon energy as he ran towards her. The fire around him began to surge like lightning.

 

 

 

 

Neku then began to roar as he viciously swiped at her causing Clarissa to have to dodge his swipes at blinding speed.

 

 

 

 

"Heh, this is going better then I had hoped. I destabilized his mind and energy to the point he is almost a full demon, however he's not really thinking clearly. The energy's controlling him rather then him unleashing the energy to kill me… I just need to push him a bit more." she thought

 

 She then charges energy in her right hand and smiles while still dodging his slashes

 

 

"This last bit of my energy ought to do the trick. With this bit of my energy, he'll be almost there. Then he'll need just one last push and then if necessary, this little boy,  Neku Sakuraba...will be mine" she thought pleased 

 

 

As soon as Clarissa was about to fire her demon energy to attack Neku, she saw from the corner of her eye, a bright light flying towards her but before she could react the Angel punched her in the face carrying Shiki on his back.

 

 

 

 

It was Mr. H, infuriated by how she twisted the truth making him look like a monster in front of Neku.

 

 

 

 

 

He continued his combo by punching her dozens of times in the face with rapid fire punches, ending with her flying from the impact. He then teleported behind her, grabbing her by the hair and threw her to the ground.

 

 

 

Mr. H then teleported to the ground unleashing a more advanced version of the Angel Attack he taught Neku, unleashing multiple white orbs at ridiculous speeds blasting into the demon sending her flying once more.

 

 

 

 

"Shiki get off!" he cried

 

 

 

 

"right!" she responded

 

 

 

 

The moment she did this she was in a barrier he set up knowing that Neku would need his Angel energy to stabilize him, it was beyond her control.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then extended out his wings and began to charge his Angel fire and unleashed at Clarissa causing her to scream in pain and dissolve into a black mist and disappeared desperate to escape being hurt by him again

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then took a deep breath and sighed returning to his human form

 

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H" Shiki thought filled with shock

 

 

 

 

"Alright Shiki I'll remove the barrier now but stay close to me okay? Phones is really steep in the corruption of the energy and is very unpredictable right now." he tells her

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… I will." she says saddened to see Neku growling at them

 

 

 

 

They approached Neku's demon form slowly with Shiki walking behind Mr. H.

 

 

 

 

He then extended his hand out to him generating his white energy

 

 

 

 

"It's okay Phones, it's me and Shiki… your friends. We want to help you." he says as he slowly walked closer to Neku, making him back away on all fours snarling 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point just feeling the energy helped Neku calm down a little his eyes went back to being bright red with pupils.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then placed his hands on Neku's shoulders soothing him with his energy making Neku stop moving

 

 

 

 

"this is bad" he thought "poor Phones… his mind and energy is breaking it's almost completely shattered! If he didn't have memories of his friends, how they all impacted him in the Game… he'd be his old self right now. Something tells me Clarissa might target these memories… she already targeted his love for my work as CAT."

 

 

 

 

"Nngh! Mr. Hanekoma…" Neku says weakly

 

 

 

 

"welcome back kiddo." he says revealing a little smile happy to see nearly all of the energy was stable, making Neku look like himself again, except that his eyes were still red.

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku!" shiki cried "what did she do to you?" she asks concerned as they helped him get to his feet.

 

 

 

 

"she… she…" Neku felt a huge lump in his throat he didn't want to repeat what she said

 

 

 

 

Seeing his eyes water Shiki then held his hand

 

 

 

 

"Neku… it's okay if you don't want to tell me." she says saddened

 

 

 

 

"no… I… I'm fine really… I …just need to know…" by this point he was squeezing her hand fighting back tears

 

 

 

 

"Why… why Mr. H… why did you do those things? How could you betray Joshua? Everything she said… is it all… true?"

 

 

 

 

"In a way… it is Phones, but before you say anything listen to me alright?" Mr. H says seriously

 

 

 

 

"Although I am the Producer, I only watch the Reapers' Game and make sure the rules are being followed. The Composer holds absolute authority over the Underground. By "authority" I mean the right to determine rules. He is the only one who can change the composition of the UG, and sole creator of this Shibuya. The Reapers' Game isn't supposed to be a bad experience. It's supposed to help humans enjoy life." The Angel explained

 

 

 

 

"She twisted the truth to make me and the rest of the Higher Plane sound like monsters. You gotta believe me Phones… please… and the stuff about the CAT graffiti is true, but CAT did that to help humans expand their world. If you have a powerful imagination you can look and think outside the box, and help shape the world for the better." Mr. H explained

 

 

 

"then what about the code Gather?" Neku added in with his right hand upward and left hand in his pocket 

 

 

 

 

"It was to help you connect with other people who felt the message, but since you were always alone, you would just gather there frequently by yourself… I love graffiti too and l never wanted you to die in Udagawa, honest. And l know CAT wouldn't have wanted that either" Mr. H said sincerely

 

 

 

 

"Humans are slaves to their emotions Phones, some more than others, which is why life in the RG is so stressful. So to help improve the RG, to improve the world, to make humans happy, I help maintain the Reapers' Game, that the rules are followed. That way, you can get a positive experience from it, and share that with the world. I just didn't think Joshua was going to go so out of hand with it" he said a little sad

 

 

 

 

"He did a lot of stuff Composers aren't supposed to. Like making a person fight for them, trying to destroy an entire city… or participate in the game itself. Yet Joshua broke every one of those rules, which is why to save Shibuya, and all the humans inhabiting it, the Higher-Ups allowed me interfere just a little." Mr. H continues

 

 

 

 

At this point, hearing the truth from Mr. H what he really intended, it made him calm down a little more to the point he regained his blue-gray eyes.

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H…" Neku says weakly "why… why did you make the Taboo Noise then? And why did you teach the Grim-Heaper, the second Game Master how to make them?"

 

 

 

Shiki stared at Mr. H in shock taking everything in

 

 

 

"I made them and taught Minamimoto how to make them as a last resort Phones. It killed me knowing that it had to come to this, me, an Angel, having to help a Reaper become powerful enough to kill the Composer… my friend Joshua…but he was out of control! So I had a decision to make… either I make a back up plan should he still try to destroy Shibuya… or let over thousands of people die and let the entire city be wiped away from Tokyo… permanently."

 

 

 

 

The very thought of it made Neku get chills down his spine

 

 

 

"Destroy one life, to save thousands… _that_ is why I did that Phones. If Minamimoto was the Composer, then at least the city wouldn't have been at risk since he had no intentions on destroying it. After all, what would be the point of beating the Reapers' Game if you had no home to go back to? Shibuya from both sides would've been destroyed forever! I I did what I did to help the Players and the Higher Plane Phones."

 

 

 

 

By this time he took everything in, Neku was finally back to normal and the Demon energy was neutralized again. He took a deep breath and sighed

 

 

 

 

"Mr. Hanekoma… it hurt me so bad when she talked about CAT that way… it was like my whole world was crashing down… and I couldn't do anything to make it stop." he says sadly

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku… she… she was messing with you, you know what Clarissa said isn't true right? How could you doubt CAT?" Shiki asked sadly

 

 

 

 

 

"Because…. The way she said it Shiki… the way she pieced it all together, it made sense! I couldn't stand to think that the person that inspired me to live how I want to live would do something like that!" he exclaims hurt

 

 

 

 

"I just wish I could tell him" Neku thought "How I know he's CAT and how much his art means to me… how he inspired me to live how l want to and feel like someone understands me back when l wasn't sure what to do with my life"

 

 

 

 

 

"I already know Phones" Mr. H said telepathically

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?" Neku exclaimed aloud in shock

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku what's going on?" Shiki asks confused

 

 

 

 

"Shiki he knows…" he says to her

 

 

 

 

"That's because, in the Higher Plane the mental "walls" humans have preventing you from reading someone's mind are gone. In this world our minds are one and we can all feel what each other feels. I just choose to respect Human Souls and not take a peak. You'll get there someday too once telepathy feels more natural. And yeah, I know Phones, that you know my secret… that I'm CAT."

 

 

 

 

Shiki then gasped in shock due to how he never told anyone out of respect for CAT.

 

 

 

 

"Wait seriously?!?" Shiki exclaimed

 

 

 

 

"you bet. Now I need my identity to be kept safe, so you'll do that for me right?" Mr. H asked with while rubbing his neck

 

 

 

 

"I will don't worry" Shiki said smiling

 

 

 

"Glad to hear it" Mr. H says smiling

 

 

 

 

"now Phones…. You didn't mean that right? You were exaggerating right?" he said worried

 

 

 

 

 

"huh?" Neku exclaims again confused

 

 

 

 

"that you said in your mind you were at a point in your life of feeling so lost they you didn't know what to do what to do with your life and that my art saved you?" Mr. H askes saddened

 

 

 

 

Neku then hid his face letting his bangs cover his eyes

 

 

 

 

"yeah…. It's true Mr. H… at that point in my life… I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't know what to do with my life after my friend died…I went to Udagawa one last time, to have one last look at the mural and never visit thete again" Neku replies saddened

 

 

 

 

"That's...awful. I'm so sorry" Mr. H said sadly

 

 

 

 

"But then, the next thing I knew, I smiled, I felt...good. I couldn't help but want to look at the tag mural and memorize it. I'd try to recreate the Ghost Cat from memory, eventually I got so good at it I could completely redraw him off of the top of my head." the teen explained

 

 

 

 

"that's when I learned more about CAT about how as a company, you'd make other things besides graffiti, that's when my passion for CAT really started! It was your imprinting wasn't it? What helped me feel better when no one else could?" Neku says a little happy managing to smile as looked up at Mr. H

 

 

 

 

"heh there you go Phones! And yeah that's what helped you back then, I'm glad." Mr. H says happily he then patted Neku on the head

 

 

 

 

"I… I really had no idea that my Imprinting would have that much of an effect Neku. Honestly, I wasn't sure how it would affect people. When Imprinting with art and music you can reach a much wider variety of people, so it's because of this I wasn't sure what to do with CAT other than covering all forms of media, trying to get the message through any way possible. But… to hear that...

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then took a deep breath and sighed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"thanks...Neku… it makes me happy knowing how much my art means to you… I'm glad I met you… that I impacted you…that we're friends… we _are_ still friends...right?" Mr. H asked a little concerned

 

 

 

 

"Neku?" Neku thought in his head "He… he almost _always_ calls me by my nickname and on top of that, he's one of the first few people who called me Phones… Heh heh, I guess… he's finally starting to remember my name"

 

 

 

 

"yeah… of course we're still friends CAT. Thank you…" Neku says sweetly

 

 

 

 

"For what?" Mr. H asks

 

 

 

 

"For always being there for me. Even when my Mind and Soul was broken, even before I entered the Reapers' Game, even back then, you were that one passion I really had. Your art was what made me happy to the point just looking at the tag mural in Udagawa, something that simple… would put a smile on my face." Neku replied

 

 

 

 

"Neku" Shiki thinks smiling at him "I'm glad he was there for you when I didn't know you…"

 

 

 

 

"well geez Neku, you really know how to butter a guy up heh, heh. You know, for old times sake… I think we ought to go to Wild Cat" Mr. H smiling

 

 

 

 

"Coffee's all on me this time"

 

 

 

 

"heh heh, that's awesome." Neku says smiling. In a way he kind of needed a break from the Higher Plane…it was as if Mr. H could sense that in him

 

 

 

 

"yeah I don't think I ever got to go there in the Game." Shiki remarks almost excited to go to get some coffee

 

 

 

 

"Alright then it's decided, let's go you guys" Mr. H says smiling

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… I'm ready to get the hell outta here." Neku replies


	25. Taking A Break

Shiki then looks at Neku and notices how beaten up he looks and feels like she should help him feel better.

 

 

 

"Hey Mr. H before we go, can I help Neku?" she asks

 

 

 

 

Mr. H knowing what she meant by that replied in his laid back attitude

 

 

 

 

"well sure Shiki, take all the time you guys need, no need to rush."

 

 

 

He then tells them to let him know when they're ready, and goes back to the Composer Domain

 

 

 

"Hey Shiki what's up?" Neku asks not sure of what's going on

 

 

 

 

"heh, heh, you need to be more careful Neku I can't fix your shirt all the time." she responds implying what she wanted to do.

 

 

 

 

Neku then looked down at his shirt to see slash marks all over it and sees those same slash marks on his arms… and feels a slash on his right cheek from when Clarissa attacked him.

 

 

 

"Oh… heh heh, I guess I got carried away when I was in that demon form huh?" he replies awkwardly scratching his head

 

 

 

 

"yeah… I mean she looks like she really hurt you." she says saddened.

 

 

 

 

Shiki then closes her eyes and extended her hands with her palms faced upward (while Mr. Mew was hanging on to her shoulders) to reveal a needle and thread falling from the sky. The thread was a grayish blue color matching the part of Neku's shirt that isn't striped. Then two more threads fell from the sky one was yellow and the other was indigo.

 

 

 

 

Neku then began to smile knowing what she was going to do. In a way he was glad that she was going to fix his shirt. He knew Shiki hadn't sewed in a while since going to the Higher Plane.

 

 

 

 

"Um Shiki… you're not going to… well make me take off my shirt right?" Neku asks nervously

 

 

 

 

Shiki then began to blush

 

 

 

"What?! Neku why would I…" she then remembers how she took off Neku's pants in the UG

 

 

 

"oops" she remarks "I guess I got a little carried away back then huh? heh heh. Don't worry Neku, I won't do that."

 

 

 

 

She says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

 

She then begins to sew the blackish gray part of his shirt, and unlike the last time she sewed his clothes, Shiki took her time making sure she sewed his shirt nice and neat.

 

 

 

 

 

"So what happened to me Shiki?" Neku asked "I don't know how I got these marks on me"

 

 

 

 

Neku then began to pull the pieces of glass out of his leg.

 

 

 

 

Seeing how that hurt him, she then placed her hand on his leg healing it of the slashes it had.

 

 

 

 

 

"thanks" he says

 

 

 

 

"Don't mention it…" she replies "well… when you were consumed by the demon energy again, it was really steep causing you to… well you looked almost like a full demon."

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki says sadly as she finishes sewing the blackish grey part of his shirt and began to work on the gold stripes on his shirt.

 

 

 

 

The mere thought of that made Neku become sad.

 

 

 

 

"I was almost full demon?" he says weakly

 

 

 

 

"Yeah… but Mr. H healed you and made you better… I guess you got these marks from her hitting you making you crash onto the floor." Shiki says sadly

 

 

 

 

"yeah… that would explain the slash I feel on my right cheek" he says placing his hand on it making the cut go away.

 

 

 

 

"I wish I could just make it go away Neku… the energy inside of you… so you wouldn't be hurt." she says sadly. Shiki then moves on to the indigo part of his shirt.

 

 

 

 

"Me too…" Neku says weakly "after all, you guys can only do so much. Slowing down the speed of my infection, my demon energy, can only last so long and--

 

 

 

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki cried "Don't start thinking like that!"

 

 

 

 

 

She then stopped sewing and looked up at him

 

 

 

 

 

"We're gonna help you get through this Neku. It'll be okay" she says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah… thanks Shiki" he says smiling "But we still have the war to worry about… especially since they're on stand by just waiting for me to snap… monitoring how the energy flows inside of me."

 

 

 

 

"I almost went full demon… How do we know if I'll be okay around all that energy at once?" He asks sadly

 

 

 

 

 

"I don't know how to answer that but… Mr. H, Joshua and I are going to help you no matter what Neku. Even if something happens when you're around all of that energy, we'll be there to make it stop." Shiki says smiling

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Mew then nods his head in agreement

 

 

 

 

 

"heh heh, thanks." Neku says

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then made sure that the shirt was completely fixed and sewed some other pieces of it back together.

 

 

 

 

 

"wow" Neku responds "it's as if I never got hurt" he says in shock of her skills with sewing

 

 

 

 

"heh heh, well I _am_ a seamstress," she says happily

 

 

 

 

Mr. Mew then runs up to Neku and hugs him

 

 

 

 

Causing him to chuckle

 

 

 

 

"Hey there piggy heh heh, glad to see you want me to be happy too." Neku tells him

 

 

 

 

"Maybe in the Higher Plane, even as a toy it...or, maybe...he has a mind of his own and can understand how people feel" He thought

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then get to their feet and let Mr. H know they're ready to go.

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then appears to them and tells them to get ready to go to the RG

 

 

 

 

He then places his hands on Neku and Shiki's shoulders and teleports them to his coffee shop.

 

 

 

 

"WildKat" she exclaims "cool name"

 

 

Neku then sees the familiar setting of the coffee shop with a white round table and two white chairs on opposite sides. He then looks up and notices something interesting about the sign of the Cafe. Seeing the sign above the store, he sees a white misty figure in the shape of a man with a blank blue background.

 

 

"huh? Joshua?" Neku thought

 

 

He then flashes back to when he was at the hospital and saw Joshua's true form for the first time, and what Joshua said to him

 

 

_"This, is what I really am"_

 

 

"Joshua's God of Death form? I wonder why I never noticed that before?" Neku thought curious

 

 

 

They then go inside of it happy to have the shop all to themselves.

 

 

 

 

"man this brings back memories" Neku remarks

 

 

 

 

"so I'm guessing the usual for you Neku?" Mr. H says happily

 

 

 

 

"yeah" he replies

 

 

 

 

"Alright, I'll be right back" Mr. H says as he gets ready to prepare the coffee

 

 

 

 

"So Neku, how do you know about this place?" Shiki asked

 

 

 

 

"Well, Joshua and I came here a lot in the second week of The Reapers' Game but, the first time I came here I…ugh…I thought it was a mission. Joshua said I had to get to Cat street in 15 minutes."

 

 

 

 

 

"WHAT?! So since we'd always wake up in the scramble crossing… you ran from there all the way here?!" she exclaims in shock

 

 

 

 

"yeah…I still don't know how I ran for that long other than, an adrenaline rush I guess" Neku said hiding his face "I was infuriated that lied to me… but it was more about how he lied about something so serious and important. He said I should be happy that it wasn't a real mission 'cause…I… I didn't run fast enough… he said I would've been Erased."

 

 

 

 

"ugh that's so like him" Shiki responds annoyed

 

 

 

 

"Okay Phones I got you're coffee ready" Mr. H announced

 

 

 

 

"thanks" Neku responds

 

 

 

 

Neku's coffee was smooth and creamy with a little touch of milk in the coffee to add to the sweetness of it. As he held his coffee, he couldn't help but feel the need to ask him something

 

 

 

"Uh Mr. H…. since Shiki and I are dead… how does this work? Can I still you know, drink coffee as some sort of misty vapor, a ghost?" Neku asks confused

 

 

 

 

"ha ha of course you can Neku. Fledglings are Human Souls after all, so you have similarities to when you were alive. Here though, it's all in your head since you don't have taste buds anymore. Just remember what my coffee usually tastes like, and that's what flavor you'll drink." Mr. H says reassuringly.

 

 

 

 

"heh heh, cool" Neku responded happy he can still drink coffee.

 

 

 

He then drinks the coffee letting it go smoothly down his throat

 

 

 

"heh, it still tastes as great as I remember" Neku thinks

 

 

 

 

"so what about you Shiki?" Mr. H asks

 

 

 

 

"Hmmm well I guess I'll try what Neku's drinking… he seems to really like it heh heh." Shiki says happily

 

 

 

 

 

"heh heh yeah he really does" Mr. H responds smiling at how Neku drinks it nice and slowly

 

 

 

He then stops and waits for Shiki to get her drink, after she does, they then go and sit on the chairs separated by the table outside the cafe. After the two friends finish their coffees Shiki and Neku then begin to talk about how they wish Beat, Rhyme and Eri were there with them, wondering if they were okay and wondered if they'd survive the war.

 

As they talked about this, they see Beat, Rhyme and Eri walking together, making them smile at their friends. Unaware of how much their minds truly yearned to talk to them again, something then happened 

 

"Hang in there guys" Neku said smiling 

 

 

"Yeah, we'll be okay" Shiki added 

 

At that moment,  they see their friends stop walking and look at each other in shock.

 

"You guys heard that too right?" Eri said to them

 

"I did. It sounded like Neku and Shiki. It sounded like they want us to be happy" Rhyme said smiling 

 

"Hells yeah. I'm glad they doin' aight. I wish they were here yo but, leas' they waitin' for us" Beat added

 

The friends then headed to 104 for Eri to buy new clothes for Beat and Rhyme while still respecting their style 

 

Neku and Shiki then look in shock and then smiled at each other.

 

 

"I didn't think they were going to hear us" Neku said scratching his head 

 

Shiki then giggled

 

"Neither did l. I'm glad they're doing okay, being able to cope" Shiki added 

 

"Me too. That's why..." 

 

Neku then looks down at his left hand. 

 

"No matter what crap those demons try to pull, I'm gonna try to control my demon energy, for their sake" he said firmly 

 

"That's the spirit Neku" Mr. H said as he walked to Shiki and him

 

 

Mr. H then tells them that he feels the Demons becoming restless, and that they had to begin their training

 

 

 

 

"You know that too don't you Neku? You can feel them too can't you?" He asks darkly

 

 

 

 

 

"yeah… even right now… with my energy neutralized, I can feel it inside me… getting even stronger." Neku replies looking at his hands feeling them tingle from the energy burning him

 

 

 

 

Shiki then placed her hand on his shoulder causing the burning to stop

 

 

 

 

"thanks" he says weakly

 

 

 

 

"don't mention it" she says sadly

 

 

 

 

"That's why I'm gonna train you two. Get you guys stronger so you'll be ready." Mr. H replies

 

 

 

 

He then generates a white orb outlined in gray in his hand

 

 

 

 

"Here you go Phones and don't worry this orb's not gonna zap you or anything" he says reassuringly

 

 

 

"Wait you want me to absorb that energy? Mr. H if I do that, I'll have three different energies flowing inside me…you sure I can handle that?" Neku says a little unsure

 

 

 

"Heh heh, you'll be fine Phones after all you did the exact same thing in the UG when you fought the Conductor remember?" Mr. H says reassuringly 

  

 

The mere thought of that made Neku look down for a few seconds, getting a flashback of him summoning beams of Beat, Shiki and Joshua's energy as he unleashed his Final Fusion Attack.

 

 

he then looked up at Mr. H and smiled

 

 

"Yeah, I remember" Neku said feeling more confident

 

 

 

But then he remembered something else… how Joshua ALLOWED the conductor to fuse with him… how he was smiling as he fused with the Conductor making the gold Dragon Noise he killed making him become more serious again.

 

 

 

"Joshua" Neku thought "even back then… he wanted to see how strong I was, and how good I was at fighting one on one. All Beat, Shiki and him could do is simply watch me fight, and hope I didn't die. Other then focusing their thoughts and energy on me… creating the light puck… there was nothing they could do… They all helped me hoping I'd survive, but in Joshua's case… it was to help his Proxy win his bet…"

 

 

 

 

Remembering how hurt he felt, knowing that he was just a pawn in Joshua's scheme made his eyes turn red

 

 

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki cried squeezing his hand

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then immediately sent the orb in Neku causing him to calm down

 

 

 

 

He then let out a sigh of relief

 

 

 

 

"thanks" Neku said "Do you really think this will keep me safe? After all you can only stop my infection so long and--"

 

 

 

 

"Of course it will Phones! Don't worry you've had different energies flowing inside you so this should feel right at home for you. Plus it's angel energy, so it'll help make you stronger too." Mr. H says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

"Yeah…I noticed that too Mr. H. Sometimes in the Game when I'd kill Noise and they'd drop some Pins… I'd get some unbranded pin under the class Angel. I noticed how I was able to kill Noise a LOT faster because of them. That's why I always had at least one Angel pin with me." Neku replies

 

 

 

 

"Will it really help Neku Mr. H?" Shiki asks curiously

 

 

 

 

"yeah with you and my Angel energy in him he should be just fine." he says reassuring Shiki

 

 

 

 

Mr. H knew this wasn't the whole truth, after all, Clarissa's energy is automatically stronger he didn't know how much his Angel energy would help Neku stay in control.

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then took them back to the higher plane and told them to rest up… to relax and let their energy flow peacefully to do something that they like.

 

 

 

 

The two friends then went in their halves of the house and did as Mr. H instructed.

 

 

 

It felt like hours went pass each friend living in their house doing their daily routine. Shiki practiced sewing the longsleeved jacket she made for Neku and added pockets to them. She also then practiced the drawing techniques Neku taught her… as she enjoyed her time in her room she then noticed something going on in Neku's half of the house….


	26. Training

Shiki hears what sounds like water going off in his half of the house. She found this odd since they're both dead and don't need water to surivive anymore and began to wonder what Neku was going to do with it…

 

 

 

"Is he gonna take a shower?" she thought "but… we're dead we don't even have pores to get all sweaty and stuff"

 

 

 

 

Shiki then began to giggle

 

 

 

 

"Some old habbits die hard" she thought again

 

 

 

At that moment she then heard music began to play in his half of the house and Neku singing along to it…

 

 

 

_"it opened up without any indication, I thought I was aware without a reason._

  _Don't look back on the past there ain't no answer, I'll push myself forward without hesitation._

 

 

 

_Give me a break before I scratch myself out, I thought I was strong enough but now, I know…_

 

_I'm not the one who is good at pretending, I am the one who is tired of dependence, I am the one who can't bear anymore_ _I'm not the one who can live all alone._

_I don't sell myself to get such a reputation and if all I could see was the lonely star above._

_I might be asking you for some consolation but sure, I know this is the only star--"_

 

 

 

As Shiki overheard this she couldn't help but giggle at how the lyrics match Neku perfectly, almost as if the song was about him. She loved hearing him sing so she made sure to be quiet to hear the rest of the song

 

 

 

As Neku sang the rest of the song a white mist of energy appeared in his bathroom and quickly transformed into a human, the person then began to record Neku singing on his cellphone.

 

 

 

_"You found your way to the nominations, but I doubted them without a reason._

_Don't close your eyes at your first bite and when you swallow, I'll scream around to forget all my fears_

 

 

 _I'm not the one who is good at pretending, I am the one who is tired of dependence, I am the one who can't bear_   _anymore_ _I'm not the one who can live all alone._

_I looked up into the sky for salvation but all I could see was the lonely star above, I am not waiting for your confirmation and yes, I know this is the only star--_

 

 

 

 

The guitar solo begins to play and the person recording him begins to smile,

 

 

 

 

"my my" Joshua thought "Neku really does have a good singing voice… hee hee"

 

 

 

 

Neku then goes back to the last verse of the song

 

 

 

_I don't sell myself to get such a reputation and if all I could see was the lonely star above._

_I might be asking you for some consolation but sure I know this is the only star"_

 

 

When the outro finally ends it caused Joshua to then stop recording and then Neku mutters to himself

 

 

 

 

"Man I love that song"

 

 

 

And then begins to wash his body and the next song begins to play due to his playlist being set to random which was: Three Minutes Clapping

 

 

 

 

_Time I won't ever give in No matter how hard you pull me in I know gravity ain't an excuse I just want to make things a little more smooth Majority is still asleep They're tired of those dreadful dreams Now let me shout and wake you up Let me wake you up_

 

 

 

_When the sunset dyes the sky so bright She freaks me out with the secret smile Stars above start to shine for miles and miles I wonder why Is this a curse or just your heart No other rhythm when those smiles flowin' I know you can stop its flow on a wave So I have learned to swim_

 

 

 

_Until the time is up I can't give up on you Before the time is up I leave all my regrets Between the lines of lines I am lost again_

 

 

_Until this time is up I'll never give this up Until the sun is up I can't give up on you Before the time is up I leave all my regrets Between the lies of lies I am lost again_

 

 

_Until this time is up I'll never give this up_

 

 

_Ah, why you want to tie me up? Get out of my way 'cause I'm on my way I don't care about imaginary boundaries But somehow I'm afraid to go over them Cover up all the skies and memories Creativity is all that I got So let me shout and wake you up Let me wake you up_

 

 

_While the fireflies dance on a new moon night She tempts me with her glistening eyes The sky above changing its color From dawn till dusk I wonder why Is this a curse or just a wild guess So I'll flow in on the clouds without wings All of a sudden the end might come So I don't act like someone else_

 

 

 

_By now he was done with washing his body and wanted to wash his hair one more time as he continued singing_

 

 

_Until the time is up I can't give up on you Before this time is up I leave all my regrets Between the lines of lines I am lost again_

 

_Until the time is up I'll never give this up Until the time is up I can't give up on you Before the time is up I leave all my regrets Between the lies of lies I'm confused again When the time is up I'll take what I've got to take_

 

 

 

"That song is so rad, I love that song" Neku said happily

 

 

 

"Hee hee me too Neku… you sing quite well" Joshua says smugly

 

 

 

 

Neku's eyes widen, he turns off the water and immediately pulls the shower curtain away (while covering his chest ) to reveal Joshua standing in his bathroom.

 

 

 

"WHAT THE HEEEEEEEELL?!" Neku roars at him "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BATHROOM DAMMIT?! I WAS TAKING A SHOWER!"

 

 

 

Joshua then stares at Neku smiling at how his bright orange hair hand turned to a dark orange brown from absorbing the water… he noticed the back of Neku's hair was also less spiky from the water pushing it down.

 

 

 

 

"heh oh Neku, you don't even need to bathe remember? I was just trying to say hi to you, but then I heard you singing and decided to record you" Joshua remarks

 

 

 

 

"WAIT YOU RECORDED ME WHY WOULD YOU-- GRRRR" Neku then took a deep breath and sighed seeing how being angry wasn't shooing Joshua away.

 

 

 

 

"Ugh Joshua seriously I'm freezing from all this water… if you really wanted to just say hi, couldn't you have done that later?" Neku asks as he began to tremble

 

 

 

"and miss out on your lovely singing voice? Especially since it's so rare that anyone gets to hear you sing why I'd never miss an opportunity as special as this hee hee" Joshua responds

 

 

 

 

"Oh and by the way I brought Shiki here"

 

 

 

 

As she overhears this in her side of the house she's then teleported to Neku's living room

 

 

 

 

"WHAT?!" Neku roars "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! WHY DID YOU BRING HER HERE?! I WAS TAKING A SHOWER AND--

 

 

 

 

"so you're not happy she's here?" Joshua asks pulling back his hair with his smug smile

 

 

 

 

"OF COURSE I'M HAPPY SHE'S HE--" Neku then immediately covered his mouth.

 

 

 

 

Hearing Neku scream this caused Shiki to blush

 

 

 

"Dammit!" Neku thought "that's exactly what he wanted, Joshua LOVES messing with people so of course he wanted me to yell at him that sentence… ugh… and I fell for it"

 

 

 

 

"Well, aren't you going to go hang out with her Neku?" Joshua says noticing he was deep in thought

 

 

 

 

"It's impolite to keep a lady waiting" Joshua then let out his icy laugh again

 

 

 

Neku then took a deep breath and sighed again (by this time his hair was a dark orange due to it beginning to dry)

 

 

 

 

"I…I know it is" Neku says bashfully "but why did you bring her here?" Neku asks again

 

 

 

 

"well I wanted to surprise you, and what's better than a surprise visit from a friend?" Joshua asks smiling

 

 

 

 

He noticed Neku glaring at him

 

 

 

"Alright I'll go, just try to enjoy the spare time you two have since you'll be training soon" Joshua reminds him

 

 

 

"Yeah I know" Neku replies angerly

 

 

 

The composer then dissolved into a ball of light and flew out of the house

 

 

 

Neku then thought "Screw it, he's right… I can't let myself dry naturally… the way I would if I was human again"

 

 

 

 

He then sighed and placed his hands on his head and closed his eyes "I don't want to be wet, or feel cold. I want to be dry."

 

 

 

 

 

He then opened his eyes to notice he successfully used his imagination again.

 

 

 

 

He then stepped out of the bath tub and wrapped himself with a towel covering his thighs and went to his room.

 

 

 

 

"I can at least put clothes on like a Human" Neku thought

 

 

 

 

When he was finally ready Neku then walked down stairs to see Shiki in his living room.

 

 

 

 

"Oh… um hey Shiki" Neku said awkwardly scratching his head

 

 

 

 

 

"Um hey Neku… eh heh heh, I um I heard you singing" Shiki replies

 

 

 

 

"WHAT?! WHAT ELSE DID YOU HEAR?!" Neku exclaimed in shock

 

 

 

 

"well… the …ugh let's just forget it Neku… this whole moment is really embarrassing" shiki says trying to hide her face under Mr. Mew

 

 

 

 

"Yeah I guess that's the best thing to do… but before we hang out there's something I've wanted to ask you Shiki" Neku says to her

 

 

 

 

"sure what is it Neku?" Shiki replies

 

 

 

 

"well since we're on the topic of embarrassing things… I want to know for sure… I want you to tell me if you really well… um… if you were really being Eri when you took off my pants" Neku mutters the last part of the sentence quietly

 

 

 

 

"what?" she replies

 

 

 

 

By now Neku was so embarrassed he hid his face in his funnel collar again.

 

 

 

 

 

"were you really being Eri when you...took off my pants?" he asks a little louder

 

 

 

 

Shiki's eyes began to widen she then began to wave her hands and blush simultaneously.

 

 

 

 

"W-well it's just the button wasn't right Neku and it… you can't go out in public with the button messed up like that… it's not good Neku. It looks sloppy and messy and--"

 

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head and sighed

 

 

 

 

"okay… that was me… I-I just don't like seeing clothes messed up you know?"

 

 

 

 

She then raises her head to see Neku smiling at her with his hand on his hip

 

 

 

 

"Heh heh, so you could say that it was more like an impulse to fix the button." he remarks

 

 

 

 

Shiki then giggled

 

 

 

 

"yeah I guess so"

 

 

 

 

The two friends walk around Shibuya and eventually return to Neku's half of the house where he told Shiki about one of his favorite videogames, it had to do with spray painting graffiti all around tokyo with the main Character being a red head headphones wearing graffiti lover who roller skates around Tokyo tagging it with Graffiti

(the goal of the game is to roller skate across Tokyo and cover different parts of Japan with graffiti while trying to avoid interference from the police)

 

 

 

 

As they talked about the game, Shiki and Neku got excited talking about what they could do in the game and mentioned that the Shibuya bus terminal was in the game too

 

 

 

 

"Heh heh how did I know you'd have this game?" shiki asks smiling

 

 

 

"well hey it's an entire videogame dedicated to the art of Graffiti. That's pretty awesome don't you think?"

 

 

 

"heh heh, yeah it is. I still can't get over how Shibuya's a level in this game, and from the way you've described it, it sounds like an almost exact recreation" she says happily

 

 

 

 

after discussing the game, Neku decided to show Shiki how to spray paint graffiti. it was something she loved watching him do, and wanted to try it. He couldn't help but find it funny how Shiki was startled when she first used the spray paint can, hearing the loud sound of the paint blasting out of the nozzle.

 

"AAAAH!" Shiki screeched

 

Neku then looked at her surprised and then scratches his head

 

 

"um..Shiki, is this the first time you've ever used a spray paint can?" he said curiously

 

 

Shiki's hands then went flailing

 

"W-Well yeah! I've never done this sort of thing before Neku! I had no idea what paint shooting out of a spray-paint-can would sound like!" 

 

Neku then chukled, placing his right hand on his waist and wore a smug smile

 

"I guess that sound  _can_ take some getting used to" he said to his clumsy friend "wanna try this again?" 

 

"Sure" Shiki said smiling 

 

 

It took a while, but Shiki started to get the hang of it and would no longer accidentally spray Neku with paint on her third try. It seems like hours passed as they took turns covering different posters with graffiti.

 

 

 

 

as they continued spray painting, Mr. H knocked on the door in his human form as if he was visiting their house.

 

 

 

 

He sensed how their energy was very intense but it was more from excitement, he was happy to see their energies flowing like an aura borealis.

 

 

 

 

"Hey guys you know why I'm here now right?" Mr. H remarks

 

 

 

 

Neku then sighs and looks at Shiki

 

 

 

 

"Well you know why he's here" Neku said a little grumpy

 

 

 

 

"yeah but at least this training's gonna help us get stronger" Shiki replies as they walk towards the door.

 

 

 

 

"Good point" Neku said smiling as he opened the door

 

 

 

 

"Hey Mr. H we're ready." Neku announces as he sees his friend

 

 

 

"Great" Mr. H replies "But before we go, do ya mind explaining what you guys were doing? Your energies resembled auroras but their wavy motion was at a fast pace like you two were excited."

 

 

 

 

"Oh… well I was just telling Shiki my favorite video game, it's really cool. you get to run around Tokyo and spray paint graffiti" Neku replies

 

 

 

 

"ha ha, that sounds really cool Phones! It has you written all over it. now if only I could bust out the Ghost Cat in that game." Mr. H replies scratching his head

 

 

 

 

"Heh heh, that'd be sweet!" Neku remarks at the thought of CAT being in a video game

 

 

 

 

Shiki noticing how the two Graffiti lovers are getting a little too into the conversation remarks

 

 

 

"Um guys… weren't we supposed to go somewhere?"

 

 

 

"Oh, heh heh, sorry. what can I say? I love graffiti too." Mr. H says bashfully

 

 

 

 

He then teleports them to the Enlighten realm so they feel a bit stronger.

 

 

 

When they arrive there Neku and Shiki notice all humor removed from Mr. H.

 

 

 

 

"Alright you two now I know you've gone through imagination-driven combat before, but not like this. In a war you're not fighting one on one." he points out darkly

 

 

 

 

"yeah we know, but Mr. H when I was Neku's partner we'd fight multiple Noise together." Shiki points out

 

 

 

 

"Exactly Shiki, you and Neku have fought multiple _Noise_ not multiple Demons, that is where you guys are gonna be in trouble without this training." he informs her

 

 

 

 

"yeah… he's right Shiki… especially since we've barely survived fighting one Demon." Neku adds in hiding his face

 

 

 

 

Sensing Neku's fear at the thought of fighting more than one demon he places his hand on Neku's shoulder.

 

 

 

"Heh heh, don't worry Phones this training's gonna get you two ready for that." he says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

"You sure?" Neku says weakly

 

 

 

 

"I'm sure" Mr. H says smiling causing Neku to do the same

 

 

 

 

"there you go Phones" he remarks at Neku's smile

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then backs away from them and goes full blast and then creates clones of his Angel form.

 

 

 

 

"Whoa wait a minute we have to fight YOU?!" Shiki exclaims in shock

 

 

 

 

"well yes, it's not I can summon demons you guys" Mr. H says "Now get ready you two, for this training to be effective I'm going to attack at full force. I CAN'T hold back cause the demons won't. When we go to war with them they'll attack you with the intent to kill."

 

 

 

 

The mere thought of that made Neku become extremely pale and suddenly feel cold.

 

 

 

 

"Neku you okay?" Shiki says sweetly causing color to return to his face

 

 

 

 

"Y-yeah" Neku replies weakly

 

 

 

 

He then takes a deep breath and sighed

 

 

 

 

"Okay… let's go Mr. H!" he tells him

 

 

 

 

The thousands of Mr. H angels then flew to Neku and Shiki shooting Angel orbs and lightning at them.

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki retaliated by shooting their energy at him, and having panther Mr. Mew attack alongside them. Something that impressed Mr. H seeing how even as fledglings they're getting stronger and are getting better at unleashing their energy.

 

 

 

 

Just as Neku and Shiki had gotten confident one of the Mr. H clones punched Shiki in the face sending her hurling back from the impact.

 

 

 

 

(He didn't like having to do that to her, but Mr. H needed to be convincing and show them how chaotic it is to fight multiple opponents)

 

 

 

 

"SHIKIIIIII!" Neku cried

 

 

 

 

As he tried to run to her aid, the real Mr. H punched Neku causing him to fly back. The angel then grabbed Neku by the back of the head and slammed him into the ground face first. He then pinned Neku to the floor by placing his leg on Neku's back still squeezing Neku's hair.

 

 

 

 

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, WRONG!" Mr. H roared

 

 

 

The moment he did this the clones stopped fighting causing the chaos to go down.

 

 

 

 

When everything was settled Mr. H saw one of his clones had pinned Shiki down too.

 

 

 

 

"alright" Mr. H said to the clone in his human form "you can let her go"

 

 

 

 

The clone did as the real Mr. H instructed causing Shiki to run to Mr. H

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H! What're you doing to him?!" Shiki yelled as she ran

 

 

 

 

"He needs to know Shiki" Mr. H replied intensely causing Shiki's run to go to a screeching halt.

 

 

 

"Do you know what a risky move you did there?" Mr. H says darkly

 

 

 

 

"if a demon had done this to you, all they would have to do is stab your back with their claws until you were in so much pain that your energy leaked out!" Mr. H warned

 

 

 

 

"In other words… it'd be all over" Neku thought "If something happened to her I couldn't help her?"

 

 

 

 

"no you couldn't" Mr. H replies hearing Neku's thoughts

 

 

 

 

He then lets go of Neku allowing him to get up.

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry I had to hurt you Phones but I need this to be as real as possible for you two" Mr. H says sadly

 

 

 

 

"and Shiki" he adds in "If something like this happened in the war you'd have to find a way to recover. No one would be able to help you."

 

 

 

 

"What?!" Shiki cried "But Mr. H I thought an army was like a team, that they all fought to protect each other!"

 

 

 

 

"In a way, yes that's right. But at the same time Shiki war, whether it's between humans, or a war with Demons is all about survival. You need to look out for yourself." he says coldly

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then snaps his fingers causing all the clones to dissolve

 

 

 

 

"Alright" Mr. H says "what we're gonna focus on now is fixing that mistake."

 

 

 

 

"Huh?" Shiki exclaims in confusion

 

 

 

 

"well first of all, although it was impressive seeing how you two can generate energy easier now you should've gone into your Enlighten forms. That way you could recover in the air easier from being hit." Mr. H replies

 

 

 

 

"And there's another thing I need to help you two with… Especially you Phones." he says darkly

 

 

 

 

"me?" Neku says confused "what do I need help with?"

 

 

 

 

"Your fear of Demons" Mr. H replies

 

"what? but that's not it at all Mr. H. I'm not scared of them, it's just that I have a hard time fighting them, that's all" Neku said with his left hand outward and right hand in his pocket

 

 Mr. H then smiled at him

 

 

"Right" he replied

 

 

 

"He's not admitting it, but no one WANTS to admit that they're scared. I understand, but that mental block is something he'll have to face" Mr. H thought concerned

 

 

 

 "So facing the matter at hand, you know that  _she_  is gonna be there and that she wants to control you." Neku's Angel friend added

 

 

"yeah… if they lose the war, she wants to make me the demon lord for some reason" Neku replies

 

 

 

 

"Did I ever tell you what she wants to do if she wins the war?" Mr. H asked sadly

 

 

 

 

"no…you haven't" Neku says weakly causing Shiki to squeeze Mr. Mew

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then sighed hating that her plan was a lose-lose situation for Neku. That no matter what happened, he would be in danger of losing himself in some way.

 

 

 

 

"I'm so sorry Phones but, what she wants to do to you, according to what I sensed from her… is that… if they win the war, she'll kill you." Mr. H says grimly

 

 

 

 

 

"WHAT?!" Shiki cried with horror "what would she do?! What would she… Neku, you okay?"

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki noticed how he was frozen in shock and that his irises trembled

 

 

 

 

 

"so… if she wins the war, Mr. H, Joshua, Shiki, and every other spirit in the Higher Plane is gonna die…including me… but… if we win I'll become a demon?!" Neku screamed in his head

 

 

 

 

He then began to cringe squeezing his hair

 

 

 

 

 

"DAMMIT!" he roared "SO IF WE WIN THE WAR I'LL BECOME A DEMON… A SPIRIT BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR! BUT IF SHE WINS THE WAR EVERYONE DIES, INCLUDING ME?! WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSE TO DO?! WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO ME?!"

 

 

 

 

He then feels someone tug against his pants

 

 

 

 

"huh?" he exclaimed in shock

 

 

 

 

 

Neku looked down to see Mr. Mew looking at him, it was almost as if he was about to say "It'll be okay Neku, we'll figure something out"

 

 

 

 

It was almost as if Shiki was subconsciously transferring her emotions to the toy which is why it leaped away from her to comfort Neku.

 

 

 

 

Neku then reached down for Mr. Mew and picked him up by the waist like he was carrying an actual animal.

 

 

 

 

"thanks Piggy… I needed that… Shiki… are you doing this?" he asks

 

 

 

 

"I dunno …maybe" she replies

 

 

 

 

"ha ha I think that might be it. after all your toy's transformation is powered by your mind. So maybe your mind's getting stronger to the point your emotions are being transferred." the Angel says happily

 

 

 

 

 

"but back on topic" Mr. H says grimly "I know you're struggling to face them Phones but you can't afford to show that in the war. They'll feed off of that and try to kill you even sooner."

 

 

 

 

"yeah… I know" Neku replied hanging his head

 

 

 

 

"it's just… having this energy inside me… knowing I could snap at any moment… that I could try to kill you or Shiki, it… it just makes me sick knowing you're all in danger being around me, and then on top of that being around so many demons at once I--

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then placed his hand on Neku's shoulder soothing him with Angel energy.

 

 

 

 

"Heh heh, you don't have just that energy anymore remember? I gave you a bit of my energy to help you get stronger. Focus on the Angel energy, not the Demon energy. That's what we're gonna focus on right now" Mr. H says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

He then takes a step back from Neku.

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright, now I want you and Shiki to generate your energy and attack." he instructed them

 

 

 

 

"WHAT?!" Neku roared "but… Mr. H I…I can't hurt you! you're my friend."

 

 

 

 

"Heh I know Phones…Okay tell ya what, I'll give you two a break and we'll train more in a little bit 'kay? " Mr. H replies

 

 

 

 

"Oh okay" Neku says relieved to be able to take a breather and try to calm down

 

 

 

 

Shiki then lets go of Neku's hand also relieved to be able to take a break, taking on so many enemies at once was exhausting.

 

 

 

 

Mr. H then transformed into a ball and flew away…

 

 

 

 

He flew really far from Neku and Shiki to the point he was no longer visible to them. The moment he was at a certain distance he materialized into his human form and he shot out angel lightning and eventually teleports back to where Neku and Shiki were but still kept out of sight from them.

 

 

 

 

 

As Neku and Shiki began to relax they then discussed their concerns about the war and the demon energy in Neku.

 

 

 

 

At that moment Neku then notices lightning flying towards Shiki.

 

 

 

 

"Shiki!" he cried

 

 

 

 

Neku then pulled Shiki behind her with his left hand and blocked the lightning with his own energy surging like lightning from his right hand.

 

 

 

 

"Neku…" Shiki thinks amazed at how he did this off of sheer determination to protect his friend

 

 

 

As he does this the lightning he's pushing back begins to weaken and eventually breaks apart.

 

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then hear what sounds like clapping

 

 

 

 

"heh heh, there you go Phones!" Mr. H says happily

 

 

 

 

"huh? Mr. H what are you…did you do that?" Neku asked in shock

 

 

 

 

"well yeah, I knew you could never bring yourself to hurt someone you consider a friend so… I felt like this was the next best thing." Mr. H responds happily

 

 

 

 

 

"what?!" Neku replies "But Mr. H, Shiki could've gotten hurt and--

 

 

 

 

"But she didn't, look at your right hand" Mr. H exclaimed laid back

 

 

 

 

Neku then looked to see his hand to see the energy dissolve from its lightning form generating strands of lightning around his hand.

 

 

 

 

"You mean…I …I really did this?" Neku asked in disbelief

 

 

 

 

"Yup, although you're having a hard time fighting Demons, when it comes to the well being of your friends, you can't bear to see them get hurt." Mr. H says happily

 

 

 

 

"so that's how Neku did that? Out of determination to keep me safe?" Shiki asks as she moves next to Neku.

 

 

 

 

"heh heh you bet! So focus on that Phones, not on the demon energy, especially since the angel energy inside you made your energy strong enough to block my energy… and that says a lot."

 

 

 

 

"Heh sweet so… that was imagination driven? I did that from my mind?" Neku asks still astonished

 

 

 

 

"yup, I think the angel energy has helped you improve Phones. Now it's Shiki's turn for a lesson." Mr. H replies to her

 

 

 

 

"really? What's mine going to be?" Shiki asked curiously

 

 

 

 

"well thanks to being around him, your ability to manipulate energy has improved a lot. Now I want to help you learn how to improve your healing abilities." he says laid back as usual

 

 

 

 

"think about all those times Phones has been hurt, how did you feel about seeing him like that?" Mr. H asked

 

 

 

 

"I…I hate it. I hate seeing Neku hurt… I just want him to feel better, for Neku to be happy… he deserves to be happy Mr. H." Shiki says sadly

 

 

 

 

Neku then consoled her placing his hand on her right shoulder.

 

 

 

 

 

"Please don't get sad over me Shiki, it's not worth it" he said sincerly

 

 

 

 

"thanks" Shiki says smiling a little

 

 

"Don't mention it" Neku replies

 

 

 

"that's exactly it Shiki… how you care about Phones, how you're his friend, is what helps you have that ability to heal his wounds. If something happens in the war and you actually get a chance to help him…do it!" he instructed her

 

 

 

 

 

"It'll keep you safe Neku, if all that energy made you lose control Shiki could help you." Mr. H says to him

 

 

 

 

 

"Really?" Shiki replies

 

 

 

 

 

"Yup, so what I want you to do is try to make your energy visible but think about something relaxing… something that makes you feel good. If done correctly your energy will be visible but flow like an aroura with a slow wavy like motion." Mr. H instructed her

 

 

 

 

 

Shiki then closed her eyes and took a deep breath then slowly exhaled

 

 

 

 

 

She then held her hands out with her palms faced upward. As she began to focus she generated pink energy that flowed the exact way Mr. H said it would. When she felt how warm her hands had gotten she opened her eyes to see her hands glowing with the energy.

 

 

 

 

 

"whoa… so with this I could heal Neku of wounds he might get?" she asked him

 

 

 

 

"Yup and even help neturalize Neku's demon energy faster if it got out of hand" he says reassuringly

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh heh sweet" Neku exclaimed

 

 

 

"that's why when the war starts I want you two to try to stay together okay?" Mr. H says sternly

 

 

 

 

"Heh heh, that shouldn't be too hard right Neku?" Shiki exclaims

 

 

 

 

"yeah" Neku replies awkwardly scratching his head which caused Shiki to giggle

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright you two we're gonna train a bit more and then I'll let you guys rest… for real this time." Mr. H says chuckling

 

 

 

 

 

"heh heh alright" Neku remarks

 

 

 

 

"Now we need to focus on your issue Neku… like I mentioned before… the fact that you struggle to fight them, could kill you." Mr. H says grimly

 

 

 

 

"Yeah…I know" Neku says weakly

 

 

 

 

"I know this is going to hurt Phones but I need you to think about _her_ … what she looks, like what she sounds like… I know what I'm asking for you to do is hard, but we need to do this." Mr. H says sadly

 

 

 

 

 

Neku then cringes flashing back to Clarissa kissing his neck and playing with his hair and when she placed her hand on the shoulder Neku was shot at

 

 

 

 

"Mr. H" Neku says weakly as tries to stop his eyes from burning "I …I can't…I just--

 

 

 

 

 

He then felt Shiki hold his hand as a result of seeing Neku begin to become pale from just thinking about Clarissa

 

 

 

 

"thanks…" Neku says weakly

 

 

 

 

"Don't mention it" she replied

 

 

 

 

 

"I know Phones, but if you're gonna survive the war you need to do this… do it for your pal Mr. H. You don't want the Higher Plane to lose …right?" Mr. H asks sadly

 

 

 

 

 

"What?! NO! I ….I don't want that… you're my friend Mr. H! If you guys lose then--I can't stand the thought of it." Neku replied saddened at the thought of what would happen to CAT and his other friends

 

 

 

 

Neku then took a deep breath and sighed

 

 

 

 

"I'm okay now Shiki… you can let go" he tells her reassuringly

 

 

 

 

 

"Okay" she replies letting go of Neku's hand

 

 

 

 

Neku then placed his hands over his head and closed his eyes

 

 

 

 

 

"Focus" he thought "this is for Shiki… for Mr. H and Joshua… I need them to be safe… they're apart of my world…I can't imagine living in a world without them… I need to think about _her_ … about Clarissa."

 

 

 

 

As Neku began to remember all the things she's said to him… all the things she's done to him, a black orb began to appear and eventually took on the form of Clarissa, the Demon energy was reacting to his thoughts recreating her.

 

 

 

 

Finally… the last half of his training was about to begin…

 

 

 

 

To be continued…


	27. Training (Part 2)

Neku opens his eyes to see his recreation of Clarissa standing right in front of him, just being so close to her already made him feel nervous.

 

 

"well this is interesting" the illusion Clarissa remarked "It seems I'm not really here…heh heh very good Neku, your demon energy's already getting so strong that you did this by thinking about me."

 

 

"Shut up!" Neku roared shaking his fist "I… I'm doing this so you don't mess with me anymore! When this is all over you'll won't be able to screw with me!"

 

 

The fake Clarissa merely smiled at Neku

 

 

She then let out a playful laugh and began to walk closer to Neku making him back away

 

 

"You ignorant little boy, you really think you're stronger now don't you? That you actually stand a chance against me? I'm a Demon who's ranking is the equivalent of the Composer..and even so, even with our Demon rankings, the demon equivalent, is stronger than the other ranks. All I'd have to do is unleash my true form… and you'd break apart right now. Illusion or not, I'm as strong as the real Demon Mistress." she declares with a crooked smile

 

"No…" Neku replied weakly "So all this time… all those times I fought you, you were holding back?"

 

 

The fake Clarissa then stood right infront of Neku and snapped her fingers, making him get a headache and making him freeze in place and got a few inches closer to him and began to stroke his hair causing his eyes to water and turn red.

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki cried as she witnessed what the illusion was doing to him

 

 

"Mr. H we need to help him! Neku's already starting to lose control!"

 

 

 

"I know Shiki but this is his fight, Phones needs to learn how to take advantage of how Clarissa's always human around him. How she's vulnerable. Even Joshua had to face that fact when fighting alongside him." Mr. H replies

 

 

Shiki then sighed

 

 

"Okay… you're right Mr. H… Neku I know you can do this." she says quietly

 

 

As the illusion began to play with Neku's hair he felt chills go down his spine

 

 

 

"What's wrong Neku?" she asked right by his left ear making the warmth of her breath go against his skin "I thought you were going to conquer your little issue with me?"

 

 

 

"Stop" Neku says weakly "I don't want you near me"

 

 

"Oh that hurt my feelings Neku… I'm afraid you'll pay for that" she says softly

 

 

The illusion then slashed Neku in the face sending him crashing to the ground. He then felt something cut his wrist

 

 

"Nngh!" he grunted "no… a black slash mark?" Neku remarked

 

 

"See? No matter what training you get the energy is there Neku. There's nothing you can do about it."

 

 

"Shut up!" Neku growled

 

 

"Focus on the Angel energy" he thought "focus on how it strengthens me"

 

 

He then unleashed his energy as lightning at Clarissa causing her to block it with her own. When he unleashed his energy however, there was black strands of demon energy surrounding it.

 

 

"well isn't this interesting," she remarked, "It seems even with the angel energy slowing down your transformation it's leaking out of your energy."

 

 

Neku became so enraged knowing that no matter what he tried she was still winning that he charged towards her charging up his energy again.

 

 

Neku then unleashed an inhuman roar as he tried to slash her with his energy… it then began to fade from white outlined in darkblue to being dark gray outlined in darkblue.

 

 

 

"No… Neku" Shiki thought with horror seeing him slowly lose control.

 

 

Becoming concerned Mr. H then wrapped his arm around Shiki

 

 

"Come on Phones you can do this you've got to get that control back" Mr. H thought

 

 

"Dammit" Neku thought "Why can't I hurt her? She's in a human form I need to take advantage of that…this is for Shiki… and all of my friends… I need to remember that."

 

 

The moment Neku thought about them instead of his fear and anger his dark gray energy turned light gray.

 

 

The illusion then became concerned by this as she was dodging Neku's slashes.

 

 

He then manages to grab her right arm with his left hand squeezing it and then slashes it with his right hand.

 

 

 

"AAAGH!" the illusion cried as he slashed her.

 

 

Neku then began to smile at the fact he finally hurt her… but something was wrong, now that he felt the excitement from finally hurting the illusion the demonic energy began to swirl inside him.

 

Neku then slashed at her over and over, making him become more confident

 

 

"I've got this!" he thought smiling 

 

 

But at that moment the smile vanished as he felt how his Demon Energy was beginning to spike up from feeling his body burning

 

 

"Huh? My body...it's stinging, it's the Demon energy trying to screw with me again! I can't let her hurt me anymore. Gotta focus on the Angel energy, not the Demon energy!" he thought trying to fight the demon energy's corruption

 

 

"Neku! He finally did it!" Shiki cried happily

 

 

Mr. H and Shiki smiled seeing Neku start to get more control over his demon energy causing Neku to no longer have a black slash mark and got in his fighting stance while generating orbs. He then fires them at Clarissa making her dodge the attacks and run towards him.

 

 

Neku then placed his right hand on his head and felt his left hand surge with lightning and held his hand out towards Clarissa determined to hit her. The blast of lightning was so strong that she had only seconds to escape and teleport away from Neku making him growl.       

 

 

"Rrrgh! No matter what you do, you can't control me!" Neku roared in his fighting stance

 

 

He then ran towards Clarissa and leaped in the air getting ready to punch her face only for her to charge demon energy in her left hand and punch Neku's face making him get launched to the right and smash onto the ground

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki yelled concerned as he struggled to get up

 

 

Clarissa then smiled as she walked towards him, seeing him manage to get up by pushing his hands on his legs and snapped her fingers causing Neku to squeeze his hair screaming as the demon energy swirled out of control making a black fire swirl around him. Sensing this increase in the energy, Mr. H then began to worry about Neku

 

 

 

"something's wrong Shiki… try to pick up on his energy, try to sense it." Mr. H instructed her

 

 

She did as he suggested. Shiki closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on Neku, in doing so she was able to tap into the presence of his energy.

 

 

"No!" Shiki cried "Neku… the demon energy is spiking up, making him murderous! I thought the angel energy was supposed to help."

 

 

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but it is Shiki. Right now, if he didn't have the angel energy in him… he'd be almost a full demon...Like we saw last time." Mr. H remarked sadly

 

 

"More" Neku thought "I want Clarissa to suffer"

 

 

The energy then spiraled out of control triggering his second demon form

 

 

Neku then roared again as he attempted to slash her at even faster speeds, by now his energy was pitch black.

 

 

"Hmph, looks like your angel friend's energy only slowed down the transformation… silly fledgling do you really think you stand a chance against me?" the fake Clarissa asked

 

 

 

She then grabbed Neku's right arm and electrocuted him making him scream in pain and recoiled him into the air.

 

 

The illusion then generated demon energy and tore through Neku's funnel collar exposing his neck, choking him.

 

 

She then slammed Neku to the ground.

 

 

"You see? Even with your little friends all trying to help you, the result will ultimately be the same. You'll lose yourself Neku, everything that makes you who you are will vanish. You have no hope, no future, and eventually, I will have your power to use for my plan." she responds softly again

 

 

Neku then let out a low growl

 

 

"Stop…treating me…like a toy!" Neku then unleashed his demon energy at her

 

 

Clarissa then blocked it with her hand.

 

 

 

"why are you so afraid of that energy Neku? Don't you see how powerful it makes you? How you're able to unleash abilities and attacks that you can't unleash on your own? That I'm making you stronger?" she asked

 

"Rrrgh! I do NOT fear it!" Neku snarled

 

 

As Neku gave in more into the energy the angel energy began to get drowned out.

 

 

"NO!" Mr. H cried "Phones there's only so much I can do, you need to stop this… please! Don't throw away who you are!"

 

 

She then lets go of Neku amused by how he tried to get up only to fall to his knees filled with fatigue

 

 

"oh don't listen to him Neku! He's the one who was brainwashing you with his graffiti remember?" The illusion said

 

 

By this moment Neku was so overwhelmed he laid on his hands and knees trembling on the ground.

 

 

"Dammit!" he thought "what…what should I do? I know she's messing with me… talking trash about CAT again but… in a way… she's right! The demon energy makes me feel really strong in the transformation… like I could take down anyone!

 

 

"But… Mr. H, Shiki, Beat, Rhyme, Joshua and Eri… they're all my friends…I don't want to lose them… I don't want to forget them. If it wasn't for Mr. H giving me his energy… I… I'd be lost right now… I wouldn't know what's going on…I know it… what should I do?"

 

 

The illusion then sits down and places her hand on Neku's back. She then kissed him on the cheek causing her to get pushed back by Neku.

 

 

"don't…don't touch me… I… I hate it." he says weakly

 

 

She then brushed her fingers on his right cheek

 

 

"Neku… I'm only trying to help you please don't push me away." she says sweetly

 

 

She then raises his head so they're face to face. The illusion then pulled down his funnel collar and kissed his neck again, she then slowly slid her fingers into Neku's hair messing with his ears rubbing her fingers against them.

 

 

"stop" he whimpered cringing from fear

 

 

"Please… stop it" he whimpered again with tears built in his eyes

 

 

By now he was so unstable that he began to grow demon skin… he was heading towards his third demon transformation… when he was almost full demon.

 

 

"Why Neku? Don't you like it when a girl does this to you? It means they like you silly." she says in a playful voice

 

 

"Please… I…I don't …feel safe." Neku says as his voice breaks

 

 

By now Mr. H had seen enough

 

 

"I'm sorry Shiki… but he's not ready yet… I thought this would help but it's only making Phones' fear even worse! The Demon energy is amplifying his fear to the point of not knowing what to do! I'm sorry…if he can't handle one demon… then …he's not going to survive the war." Mr. H says disheartened

 

 

Hearing Mr. H say such a thing… it was like a stab in the chest… Shiki couldn't believe it. All she could do was watch Neku slowly lose his mind as she began to cry.

 

 

Just when Mr. H was going to intervene Neku was able to feel Shiki's energy

 

 

"Shiki…" he says weakly

 

 

"Why is she crying?" Neku exclaimed

 

 

"Oh don't worry about her Neku… she's just some worthless little girl who cries cause she can't--

 

 

The illusion then let out a grunt of pain from being punched in the mouth.

 

 

"DON'T YOU _EVER_ TALK ABOUT SHIKI LIKE THAAAAAT!" Neku roared

 

 

"huh? Neku!" Shiki cried happily

 

 

Although he wasn't aware of it, standing up for Shiki, remembering who his friends are, made his demon energy begin to neutralize all the way back to his first demon form.

 

 

Neku roared again and screamed

 

 

"SHE'S NOT WORTHLESS TAKE IT BAAAAAAACK!" Neku then began punching her in the face over and over.

 

 

The illusion then unleashed a blast of energy that sent Neku flying crashing onto the ground landing on his back.

 

 

He then opened his eyes to see her smiling.

 

 

With a snap of her fingers, she unleashed her true form being gray with black slash marks, red eyes and white hair, making Neku scream in pain.

 

 

 

The demon energy in him then spiraled out of control causing him to start the process all over again of losing his mind more and more until he was almost full demon. The only thing that still looked like Neku was that he had his bright orange hair still.

 

 

"NEKUUUUUUUU!" Shiki cried running to her friend

 

 

"Shiki no!" Mr. H cried running after her

 

 

"this is really bad" he thought "she's unleashing a much higher amount of power! Phones and Shiki could die if they're in that presence for too long. She's too overpowering… if it wasn't for how Shiki's mind has become very strong she'd be fading instantly right now! Just by getting near that presence."

 

 

Shiki then generated the healing energy preparing to neutralize Neku but when she was that close to Clarrisa's true form it made her join in on Neku's screams of agony.

 

 

"I… I have… to help…you" she barely manages to say

 

 

 

Trembling and overwhelmed with pain she manages to place her hand on Neku's shoulder.

 

 

The Demon Mistress then placed her hand on Neku's head forcing his demon energy to start the third transformation growing his dark gray hair and blank red eyes.

 

 

"Agh!" Shiki cried removing her hand away from him

 

 

By now his demon energy was so intense that it burned her.

 

 

The illusion was then struck with a blast of angel energy sending her flying from the fledglings.

 

 

Mr. H was at full blast again, he then fired angel lightning at her causing her to scream in pain and destroyed the illusion.

 

 

He then turned to see Neku in a pouncing position at Shiki

 

 

"N-Neku… it's me Shiki remember?" she asked nervously hugging Mr. Mew

 

 

He then let out a low growl and began to walk slowly towards her on all fours.

 

 

"The energy" Neku thought "it's right in front of me"

 

 

"No! Phones don't do it!" Mr. H cried as he flew towards him

 

 

"Please Neku…" Shiki says as her eyes began to water "Please… don't hurt me… you need to remember me… please"

 

 

He then began to charge at his friend blinded by the demon energy merely seeing her as a form of energy to be absorbed.

 

 

Shiki then closed her eyes squeezing Mr. Mew crying

 

 

 

"NEKUUUU!" she cried desperately trying to wake him up

 

 

As the demonic boy pounced at her scratching her cheek he then suddenly stopped staring at her. Listening to her cry.

 

 

As Mr. H charged up an angel orb to attack Neku with to protect Shiki he then noticed the demon energy neutralizing again.

 

 

 

The energy began to become less hostile and eventually Neku looked like himself again with the exception of having red pupiless eyes and dull pointy teeth. Even his slash marks were gone.

 

 

"Shiki?" Neku says confused

 

 

Hearing him say her name made her gasp with shock

 

 

"Why are you crying?" he asks hurt

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki cried happily wrapping her arms around him.

 

 

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she says sniffling

 

 

"Shiki…" Neku thought "What did I do to you? Did I hurt you?"

 

 

Mr. H then went back to his human form and placed his hands on Neku's back completely stabilizing him making his eyes and teeth return to normal.

 

 

"thanks Mr. H" Neku says weakly

 

 

"don't mention it sport" Mr. H says sadly

 

 

"Even as an illusion… Clarissa's strong enough to drown out my Angel Energy" he thought

 

 

"If only I was at my full power, then it'd be harder to drown it out. But I'm a Fallen Angel, so I'm weaker than my normal state... But still…He was actually able to fight back against Clarissa, even if he did get overwhelmed by her, that's a step inthe right direction and the moment Neku thought about Shiki, he regained control… and hearing her cry made him calm down completely. This may not have gone the way I had hoped but… this did help Neku."

 

 

Shiki then helped Neku get to his feet

 

 

"Are you okay?" she asks weakly

 

 

 

"Yeah, Shiki… what happened to you?" Neku asks sadly

 

 

"huh?" she replies in shock

 

 

"Your face… you were hurt… who slashed your cheek?" Neku asked

 

 

Mr. H then scratched his head and sighed

 

 

"I'm sorry Phones" he thought

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head refusing to look at him and responded

 

 

"N-Neku…it was… Clarissa she--

 

 

He then placed his hands on her shoulders causing her to look into his eyes

 

 

"Shiki…don't lie to me ever! You know how I feel about that" he told her sternly

 

 

"I know Neku" she said sadly

 

 

"I don't want a friendship forged on lies" Shiki said quoting him

 

 

"then please tell me, tell me what happened Shiki, I know now thanks to Beat that White Lies can be not so batd but still, I don't care if it hurts. I'd rather know the truth then be happy with something that was never real… a lie." he says to her.

 

 

"Okay… Neku… it was you." she says sadly

 

 

"what?! Why?! What did I do to you?!" Neku roared

 

 

"Phones it's okay" Mr. H told him

 

 

"OKAY?!" Neku yelled "HOW IS IT OKAY?! I COULD'VE KILLED SHIKI! IT'S NOT SAFE BEING AROUND ME! I'M JUST A TICKING TIME BOMB WATING TO EXPLODE AND KILL EVERYONE IN MY WAY!"

 

 

"Neku" shiki says quietly

 

 

He then felt her slap his face

 

 

"don't you ever talk about yourself that way!" she roared

 

 

"Yes you attacked my but it wasn't you! You had no control over what was going on! I know you wouldn't hurt me" she tells him sternly

 

 

"Shiki…" Neku says clasping his right cheek

 

 

"yeah?" she replies

 

 

"thanks, I needed that smack heh heh." Neku says smiling

 

 

She then started to giggle

 

 

"you're welcome Neku" she says happily

 

 

"heh heh there you go Phones" Mr. H says nudging Neku in the arm

 

 

"Thanks" Neku replied

 

 

"So I lost control and that's when I hurt her?"he asked

 

 

"yeah but at the same time… when Shiki started to cry, it somehow made you stop" Mr. H tells him

 

 

"really? Wait… that's right… I remember now… I… I heard Shiki crying. I hate hearing that… I don't like her being sad" he says weakly causing Shiki to hold his hand

 

 

"So that's what broke you free?" she asked him

 

 

"Yeah I guess so… heh heh, I just want you to be happy Shiki… so the moment I heard you cry I was able to wonder what was going on" he replied

 

 

"I think that's it guys" Mr. H says smiling

 

 

"Huh?" they both exclaim confused

 

 

"As long as you two are friends, as long as you care about each other… you'll be okay" Mr. H says reassuringly placing his hand on Neku's shoulder.

 

 

"thanks Mr. H" Neku says weakly

 

 

"for what?" he asked confused

 

 

"for always trying to help us" Neku replied

 

 

"heh heh, don't mention it Neku. Now I want you two to go relax, go on get outta here." Mr. H says happily

 

 

"Heh heh alright Mr. H, see ya later." Neku tells him

 

 

Mr. H then opens a portal for them to walk through that leaded them back to the Fledgling district.

 

 

As Neku and Shiki finally calm down they then go back to Neku's half of the house to sit together and talk.

 

 

"Do you really think we're ready?" she asked sadly

 

 

Neku then hangs his head

 

 

"Yeah… we have to be" he says darkly

 

"Besides, Mr. H and Joshua are gonna be there, so I'm sure they'll help out if they need to." he says reassuringly

 

"Yeah that's true" she replied

 

"As long as we're in sync Shiki… we'll be okay" Neku tells her

 

 

Deep down inside he wish this was true. He believes in Shiki, that they can support each other but still… the fact that he hurt her was hanging in his mind…

 

 

"What if I tried to hurt her in the war?" the troubled boy thought


	28. Calm Before the Storm

As Neku and Shiki spent time together in Neku's half of the house he began to remember something about the RG, when they all hanged out together for the first time in a week… Joshua wasn't there. Neku hoped he'd see him again, and ever since that day he wondered why Joshua was never there.

 

 

Shiki noticed Neku being deep in thought and asked him,

 

 

"Neku, what's wrong? If something's bothering you, you can tell me." she says sweetly

 

 

"yeah… I know" Neku says smiling "I was just thinking about how… well… you remember when we all hanged out for the first time in the RG? You know, after we all spent time with our families for the first week?"

 

 

"I remember… heh heh, it was crazy trying to tell them that I'm alive, that we defied nature and came back from the dead. Heh heh, they were terrified...and just filled with disbelif that I was somehow right infront of them and I had to even leave out parts of the Reapers' Game so they wouldn't feel overwhelmed ." Shiki added

 

 

"Heh heh, you know the same thing happened to me, Beat and Rhyme, they totally freaked and I had to show them my Player pin, the one that wasn't crushed by Shades, just to show them that the Reapers' Game was real...and leave parts of it out too." Neku added

 

 

"Heh, yeah… that was crazy trying to get our parents to believe us… but… what did you want to say about the first week Neku?" she asked noticing they got a little side tracked

 

 

"well… Joshua...wasn't there" Neku says sadly "I know with him being the Composer of Shibuya that it'd be hard for him to hang out with us but still… I… I really wished he was there. He was the first friend I could really relate to you know? That he understood my views on society."

 

 

"I remember that too" Shiki added "that you wished he was there… so we could have the whole team there again."

 

 

"I… I kinda want to ask him why he wasn't there" Neku replied

 

 

"Do you want to go now?" Shiki asked

 

 

"yeah…" Neku admitted "but… I want you to come with me… you know, for the sake of my demon energy"

 

 

 

"I know… to keep it neutralized" Shiki added darkly

 

 

 

Neku then did his focusing pose yet again and told Mr. H telepathically that he wants to talk to Joshua, in doing so Joshua picked up on the conversaiton and waited for Neku in the Enlightened realm.

 

 

Mr. H then told Neku to get ready to be teleported there along with Shiki.

 

 

They held each other's hands and closed their eyes.

 

 

 

Neku and Shiki then opened them to see Joshua standing in front of them.

 

 

"Why hello you two" Joshua said smugly

 

 

"Have you enjoyed your moment of peace together?" he asked darkly implying how this would be the calm before the storm… the last moment of peace before the war began

 

 

"y-yeah" Neku replied weakly knowing what Joshua implied

 

 

Noticing that Neku felt tense Shiki held his hand.

 

 

"It'll be okay Neku" she says sweetly

 

 

"thanks" Neku says weakly

 

 

 

"So what did you want to ask Neku?" Joshua says curiously

 

 

"well… I just want to know why you weren't at Hachiko when…my friends… we all hanged out for the first time Joshua. I just...really wanted to see you there...that's all." Neku replied

 

 

"Heh heh, well…I guess you could say I was busy" Joshua replied smugly pulling back his hair

 

 

"Ugh, come on Josh I want a REAL answer." Neku replied annoyed

 

 

Joshua's face then darkened

 

 

"well… if you really want to know Neku, I actually was there but, I was on top of the 104 buiding, just far away enough for you to not even feel my presence. Mr. H was there too and we discussed the results of my bet, how in a way… I wanted the Conductor's plan to work and make a new world for Shibuya. But, I sometimes I still feel like it should've been destroyed" he replies

 

 

"WHAT?!" Neku roared "Joshua… how can you say that?!"

 

 

"yeah!" Shiki adds in "I thought that you spared Shibuya because Neku couldn't shoot you!"

 

 

"Yes… in a way that's true. I saw at first hand that Neku had made a friend, to the point he could never hurt that person…let alone shoot him" Joshua replied adding his scary laugh at the end causing Neku to cringe

 

 

"But… it's like what Mr. H said" Joshua added

 

 

"it's their world, they get to decide what to do with it"

 

 

"what does he mean by that?" Neku asked

 

 

"it means that the RG is your world, not mine. We could never really be friends Neku. I'm a Composer, a form of energy whose power is that of a god. I'm a Death God. You're a measly little human soul. You Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme, you're all creatures meant to interact with the living… not the dead."

 

 

"What?!" they both said in shock

 

 

"Y-You're some kind of God?!" Shiki roared

 

 

"You're a God of Death?!" Neku said in disbelief

 

 

He then flashed back to when he saw Joshua as a white mist outlined in gray at Udagawa for the first time, and in hia hospital room remembering what Joshua told him

 

" _This is what I really am"_

 

 

"Yes, that's why we're too different" Joshua said darkly

 

 

Neku then felt his heart sink

 

 

"so… you're saying… we could never be friends… that you're a god?" Neku said trying to process that

 

 

"Yes… and that's why The Higher Plane, also known as the Plane of Angels, is my home… a domain made by the Angels, for forms of energy to live in."

 

 

Neku then felt heartache as he felt pain against his chest and then hid his face in his collar with his hands in his pockets

 

 

"Neku…" shiki says sadly

 

 

"So then… all that time we fought alongside each other… all the things you said to me… it… it was all for nothing?" he asks hurt

 

 

"Oh Neku, don't take it like that… of course it wasn't for nothing… I was there to protect my Proxy." he replies smugly

 

 

Neku then raised his head looking at Joshua filled with disbelief over what Joshua had just said and then hanged his head trying to fight back the tears building up

 

 

"I can't believe it" he thought "being driven to tears again by this guy… being so angry that I'm crying"

 

 

 

Shiki, knowing that saying anything wouldn't cheer him up, hanged her head in silence

 

 

Joshua noticing how hurt they felt merely replied with

 

 

"I know it hurts you two to hear that but it's the truth and you need to accept it. We're too different to really be friends. The most I could do is keep an eye on you while running Shibuya, balancing the flow of life and death in that city. Come on now Neku… don't tell me that you're actually saddened by this fact." Joshua replied smugly twisting his hair

 

 

"I… I'm just a weak little Human soul to you aren't I? Not a friend… not a person… just some inferior little creature to toy with… like a dog who gets beat." he replies saddened

 

 

"Neku… don't talk like that" Shiki replies saddened "You're not some inferior creature to mess with"

 

 

"you're both right" Joshua adds in causing Neku to look up at him in shock

 

 

 

"As much as I try to tell Mr. H otherwise, he still believes the reason why I was so angry watching you all from the 104 building is that he thinks I really wanted to be with you Neku…to be your friend"

 

 

"what?" Neku asked confused

 

 

"You mean…you wanted to go to Hachiko? You… you really wanted to run Shibuya and still be human?" he asked

 

 

Joshua then sighed

 

 

"Well I wouldn't go that far. After all, I did something a Composer isn't allowed to. I wasn't supposed to be in the Reapers' Game as a player. The Composer is supposed to run the game by bringing back to life the players who win the game. As well as give the Conductor orders to give to the Reapers… so…I got a more personal view of my game… but that was just to monitor the Conductor. In other words, well, I like to mess with you Neku… so in a way, it IS fun to be with you." Joshua replied smugly

 

 

Neku then sighed and managed to cheer up at how he in a way admitted to at least liking him, not seeing him as a thing, but as a person

 

 

"Heh heh, do you have to be sarcastic with everything you say?" Neku asked with his hand on his hip with a smug smile of his own

 

 

"well, it's fun to talk that way, it's fun messing with people…. And occasionally lying to them of course." Joshua replied with his hands in his pockets

 

 

Shiki then giggled at how Neku got annoyed by that comment he made, she was happy to see Neku being himself again, and not overwhelmed with sadness

 

 

"UGH that's so like you Joshua! Especially since your definition of fun is tricking your partner into running all the way across the city to go to a coffee shop just to get an update on your cell phone!" Neku yelled shaking his fist at the Composer

 

 

"Hee hee, well when you're a Death God it's just really fun messing with humans." Joshua replied

 

 

Neku then groaned

 

 

"well… at least now I know why you weren't there… but… you could still watch over us and occasionally visit right?" Neku asked hoping they could still be friends even though they're two different creatures

 

 

"Hee hee well I AM Shibuya's Composer after all. And part of the job is to run the city… so that would apply to it in a way…" Joshua says smugly pulling back his hair again.

 

 

"Can he never give a straight awnser?" Neku thought

 

 

"well that's good to know" shiki replied

 

 

"yeah" Neku added "heh heh… well that's kinda the whole reason why I wanted to come here Joshua….so… I want to enjoy the last few moments I have left…" Neku says sadly

 

 

"I know" Joshua replied

 

 

"Just remember to look out for each other when that time comes" he tells them sternly

 

 

"Yeah… we will" Neku replies

 

 

 

"By the way, I would also recommend you two to go shopping for clothes in the Higher Plane version of Shibuya. Even if it was recreated by Neku's mind, it IS still Shibuya. So, regardless of how Neku never really cared about fashion trends, clothing here may still be able to power up your abilities, sort of like how that would happen in the UG. I don't know for sure, but I'd say it's something worth checking out" Joshua recommended them 

 

 

"Oh...oh yeah. We haven't even changed our clothes since we died Neku. Now we have a chance to see if what Joshua said is true" Shiki said smiling at him

 

 

"good idea. Maybe we can find the clothes we usually wear and use that to protect ourselves too" Neku added with a little chuckle

 

 

He couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic having to do this again. The two friends walk around Shibuya wondering if they'd ever see this version of the city again after the war. They wondered if they'd even survive it, after all, they've only seen war the way it's portrayed in movies. Although they were worried they tried not to focus on that too much and try to enjoy shopping at the stores in Shibuya again. As they went around looking for clothes, Neku and Shiki felt a vibration near them, causing them to pull out their cellphones, seeing them work again.

 

 

"Huh? Hey our cellphones are working again!" Neku said shocked

 

 

"Yeah! So weird! do you think it's maybe a side effect of us seeing the Higher Plane, and this Shibuya as more like our home now?" Shiki asked curious

 

 

Neku then scratches his head

 

 

"I dunno, maybe, but that would make sense" he added

 

 

the teens then notice their cellphones glowing with auras that match their souls colors, and create a stream for them to follow. They then see the streams lead to clothes that would boost their energy, including their usual clothes glow with the same aura. This then makes Neku and Shiki smile realizing what this means and get the clothes they want and leave the store, remarking on how it felt a little odd not needing to pay for them since the store owners in Shibuya are in the RG and not dead. They then put their Soul Boosting versions of their usual clothes and continue to enjoy walking around the city together.

 

 

As they walked around the city Neku felt an intense amount of pressure again. He felt like his head was pounding causing him to squeeze his hair and fall to his knees from the pressure pulling him down.

 

 

"ngh…Shiki… she's ngh… she's here" Neku says weakly

 

 

"NO!" Shiki roared "come on! We need to get out of here!"

 

 

The moment she tried to help Neku Clarissa appeared in front of them.

 

 

"hello there" she says sweetly

 

 

"Ngh! What… what the hell… do you want now?!" Neku roared

 

 

"Hmph that was kind of rude Neku… didn't your mother ever teach you to respect women?" she asked sweetly

 

 

She then walked closer to Neku turning her human finger nails into claws. The moment Shiki noticed this she then charged towards Clarissa with Panther Mr. Mew at her side.

 

 

"No, get away from him!" she screamed charging up white energy outlined in pink, it then began to surge like lightning from her determination to protect Neku.

 

 

"Ngh…sh-shiki don't" Neku barley managed to say

 

 

She then let out a roar as shiki attempted to punch Clarissa in the face with her energy, along with Mr. Mew doing the same motion by trying to swipe at her with his paws.

 

 

Clarissa then unleshed demon energy sending them both flying and crashing into the ground reciving cuts from smashing their bodies into the ground.

 

 

Shiki was then in so much pain all she could do was lay on the floor wheezing.

 

 

"Ne…ku" she whispered

 

 

"No….Shiki ngh! please run! …you have to… get away." Neku barley managed to say

 

 

He was so overwhelmed with pain that he couldn't move. Neku wanted to run to Shiki's aid and try to activate a soul surge… but he couldn't.

 

 

Clarissa being aware of that fact then decided to kill Shiki, that way she'd have one less person to worry about neutralizing Neku's energy.

 

 

As she began to walk towards shiki, covered with scratches and had her clothes torn as orbs leaked out of her, Neku became enraged from her targeting Shiki.

 

 

"NO!" he roared "ngh!… don't...DON'T HURT HER!"

 

 

Neku then began to growl and his teeth sharpened he then had red pupiless eyes again.

 

 

"you …ngh… you bitch!" Neku roared at her "DON'T YOU DO ANYTHING TO HER!"

 

 

"WHAT?!" Clarissa roared "how DARE you call me that!"

 

 

She immediately stopped walking towards Shiki and teleported back to Neku. She then pulled his hands away from his head squeezing them smiling at Neku.

 

 

"I'm afraid you'll have to pay for that" she says softly

 

 

She then punched Neku in the face and teleported behind him. She then grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed him into the ground face first, and placed her leg over Neku's back pinning him to the gorund the same way Mr. H had.

 

 

Shiki witnessing all of this managed to gain some strength back

 

 

"no…Neku…" she wimpered as she layed on the floor next to her toy.

 

 

"I… I have to help him… Neku… he's always been ther for me… I need to be there for him." she thought.

 

 

The moment she thought of Neku, she began to feel strong and manages to get to her feet.

 

 

Clarissa then placed her hand on Neku's back burning a hole into his shirt causing him to unleash a muffled scream. She then began to dig her claws into his back over and over. Starting with her pointer finger and going to the next finger and eventually got to the pinky. She repeated this process causing Neku to cry from the pain.

 

 

She then slid her fingers up Neku's shirt going up to his shoulder blades, (the area she stabbed with her claws) and went back down again.

 

 

"my my, you feel so cold Neku. I'm sorry I had to hurt you but it was the only way to teach you to respect a lady" she says sweetly

 

 

"You… you're not a lady… ngh… you're...a monster." he says darkly

 

 

"a monster eh?" Clarissa replies

 

 

"You should stop hurting my feelings Neku, I'll have to punish you again" she says sweetly

 

 

She then lets go of Neku's hair and places all her fingers together, closing the gap between each one. She then places the hand she used to hold Neku's hair (her left hand) down on his back

 

 

And proceeded to stab his back with her right hand over and over causing him to scream.

 

 

As he squinted from the pain, and clarissa staring at his energy pouring from his back, a flash of white energy outlined in pink sent her flying back.

 

 

"ngh…. Shiki…" Neku whispered

 

 

She then proceeded to pick up Neku and run back to the house with his right arm hanging over her shoulder.

 

 

As they tried to escape, shiki saw clarissa from her periphial view

 

 

"NEKU!" she cried pulling him behing her

 

 

Clarissa then sent a blast of demon energy to Shiki's stomach causing her to cough up a few orbs of her energy.

 

 

"Shiki…." Neku thought

 

 

"I… I won't let you hurt him anymore!" shiki roared

 

 

"My mind may not be as strong as Neku's… and it may never be that strong… but it doesn't matter. I'm going to be there for him!" she declared

 

 

"really? Well then let's see what you can do." Clarissa says with a crooked smile seeing this as another chance to kill Shiki.

 

 

"No!" Neku cried "Shiki don't do this! I don't want you to fade away…I don't want to be alone in the Higher Plane again…. Don't do this… PLEASE SHIKI!"

 

 

"You sound like you don't believe in me Neku… I don't want you to suffer anymore… please… let me do this… I want to get stronger… I want my mind to be as strong as yours… and I've got a plan… so don't worry Neku… I'm not gonna fade away" she says looking over her shoulder smiling at him

 

 

Clarissa waiting paitently smiled at her wondering what Shiki's little plan could be.

 

 

"I don't have the light puck to amplify my strength by thinking about him" Shiki thought "But maybe I can do something similar to that here."

 

 

Shiki then looked at Mr. Mew and told him to stay by Neku's side.

 

 

She then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, she then placed her hands on her head mimicking Neku's focusing pose

 

 

"Open up, your senses" she says quietly

 

 

"Shiki… what're doing?" Neku thought in shock

 

 

The moment Shiki opened her eyes, her irises became blue gray just like Neku's eyes. Although she hadn't fully realized it… Shiki had just merged her mind and soul with Neku like when activating a fusion attack or when fordging a pact. However being made of energy, a ghost, she achived this on a much larger scale and could now fight like Neku.

 

 

She then charged towards Clarissa causing the demon to do the same charging up demon energy, and shot it at Shiki as lightning. Shiki then blocked it with her energy making lightning too. Instead of being pink like it usually is, her energy was now a purple color representing how she's merging with his energy.

 

 

"wait a minute… Shiki… she's mimicking my attacks?!" Neku thought in shock seeing her do that

 

 

As the energies broke apart Shiki then charged towards Clarissa uppercutting her jaw, punching her in the stomach and then tackled her to the ground, mimicking the attack Neku used on Yamato.

 

 

"You're not going to hurt him anymore!" Shiki cried punching Clarissa in the jaw over and over.

 

 

"Shiki… she… she really did it!" Neku thought "she's actually hurting Clarissa"

 

 

His eyes then widened with shock

 

 

"Wait a minute… Clarissa's always… untouchable… even though she's in her human form, I've never been able to hurt her. Even during my demon forms where I feel really strong." Neku thought

 

 

Neku then came to the realization of what Clarissa was doing

 

 

"Shiki! Get out of there, she's messing with you! Come on, you know as well as I do she's NOT this easy to beat up!"

 

 

Shiki then stopped punching Clarissa to see her smiling.

 

 

"Heh heh, he's right you know… it's too bad that you realized this far too late." Clarissa replied with her crooked smile

 

 

Clarissa then engulfed her entire body with demon energy and blasted herself into shiki causing her to scream in pain as she's recoiled towards the ground again. By now she was so weak that white orbs outlined in pink began to leak out of her.

 

 

"NOOOOOO!" Neku cried running to his friend

 

 

Neku then held his hand out to her and thought

 

 

"You're not gonna fall on the floor and cut yourself again… you gonna come over to me!"

 

 

As he thought this Shiki's body then fell to his direction allowing him to catch her and shield her from the impact of hitting the ground, causing Neku to get more cuts on his back.

 

 

"Ngh…. Neku…" Shiki whispered

 

 

"It's …it's okay Shiki… we… we need to get out of here." he told her sad from seeing her in so much pain.

 

 

Clarissa then walked towards them preparing to kill Shiki when she felt a blast of energy against her back causing her to scream in pain.

 

 

"Joshua…" Neku thought

 

 

"Why is it that you keep attacking my Proxy?" Joshua asked

 

 

"You're so arrogant!" she roared at him "The war's already upon us, so the treaty doesn't matter anymore."

 

 

She then walked towards him. (luckily for Neku and Shiki he was far away from them so he was at full blast but not close enough for them to feel his presence)

 

 

She then went full blast causing Neku's eyes to water from feeling her presence just a little.

 

 

"She… she's going full blast?!" Neku thought

 

 

"but… she's as strong as Joshua so he--

 

 

Shiki then placed her hand on Neku's face snapping him out of his shock

 

 

"Neku…" she said weakly

 

 

"don't worry I'm gonna make you better" he says strongly.

 

 

Neku then picked her up and carried her back to the house as fast as he could with Mr. Mew following. Luckily for him, since he isn't solid anymore he phased right through the front of the house and brought her to his room, and gently placed her on his bed.

 

 

At that moment he could see the demon and Composer fighting each other.

 

 

The orbs of energy were still coming out of Shiki.

 

 

"don't worry Shiki… you're not going to face Soul Obstruction… I'm not sure how to use energy to heal people…I've only done it with my mind… but… it doesn't matter." Neku says to her

 

 

He then placed his hands on her chest and took a deep breath and released it.

 

 

"Shiki…" he says to her

 

 

"You gotta stay with me… I need you to know I'm here…do whatever you can to feel me." he instructed her.

 

 

Nearly facing soul obstruction twice Neku knows how dangerous this is… how if Shiki doesn't cling to her mind she'll fade away even faster.

 

 

Shiki barley even conscious hears Neku's voice and holds his hand.

 

 

"Good" Neku said feeling his chest ache from sadness

 

 

"Please… don't go" Neku thought filled with anxiety

 

 

He then tried to use one of his angel techniques of using his mind to heal himself… but tried to make Shiki better with the technique.

 

 

"Please… don't die" Neku thought "I want Shiki to feel better… I want Shiki to wake up…"

 

 

He then pressed his hands down more firmly on her chest

 

 

"Please… Shiki… you're stronger than this… I know you are" he says aloud

 

 

"you killed a Game Master with me… A Reaper that's really powerful and you were able to bring your piggy to life with your mind in the Reapers' Game, with Psychomancy. I know you're stronger than this." he tells her

 

 

"You're not weak please wake up!" Neku cried out

 

 

"You're not weak Shiki" Neku repeated

 

 

The moment he did this, focusing so much on Shiki, how he wanted her to feel better, he generated dark blue energy outlines in light blue that suddenly turned completely white. (Neku's Angel energy was activating) on her chest healing her, making her energy go back inside her body.

 

 

Shiki then felt some strength again and managed to open her eyes.

 

 

"Neku…" she says weakly

 

 

"Shiki…" Neku said shocked

 

 

"you… you're okay?" he asked concerned

 

 

"yeah… thanks" she says sweetly

 

 

At that moment they then saw a blast of white energy outlined in gray fly near their window. They then saw black lightning blocking it.

 

 

"COMPOSEEEEEEEEER!" Clarissa cried

 

 

"CLARISSAAAAA!" Joshua yelled as their energies clashed

 

 

When the energies broke apart it seemed like Joshua had disappeared but in actuality he returned to his human form and is right behind Clarissa.

 

 

He then dialed numbers in a matter of seconds and created a truck out of thin air and hurled it at the demon causing her to go smashing into the ground.

 

 

Tired and out of breath she then snapped her fingers and returned to her human form as well.

 

 

"well… this was fun" she says satisfied with the fight.

 

 

"I'm sure your little Proxy now has an idea of what the war will be like" she says happily.

 

 

"Do keep an eye on him… I'd hate for Neku to go through soul obstruction" She says slyly

 

 

Joshua then let out his cold laugh

 

 

"Oh don't worry I intend on doing that… besides I already know your little plan.. Both plan A and plan B…. and how you actually hope your back up plan comes to be…" Joshua says pulling his hair back with that creepy smile of his.

 

 

"well good" Clarissa says smiling "I guess that means that you won't feel sad when I take him from you"

 

 

She then opened a portal and went back to the demon realm.

 

 

When she was finally gone Joshua then looked in the house that Neku and Shiki share seeing that their energies were more stable

 

 

"good" Joshua thought "it's seems that they've both calmed down… and how in addition to this Neku used an angel technique to heal Shiki… interesting."

 

 

"I just hope he doen't unlesh his third demon form in the war….this is going to be very problematic" Joshua says aloud

 

 

He then snapped his fingers and became a ball of light and flew back to the Composer District.


	29. The War Ignites

An anxious and saddened Neku sits next to Shiki asking her how she feels, and if when Clarissa attacked her with demon energy if she felt like she was electrocuted and burned at the same time hoping that she didn't get any demon energy inside her.

 

 

"No… it just felt like she was burning me, no electrocution" Shiki says reassuringly

 

 

Neku then let out a sigh of relief

 

 

"Good" he replied

 

 

"cause that's the sensation I felt when I had the demon energy go inside me… I'm glad… that you don't have this infection…that you don't have my infection." Neku added sadly

 

 

Shiki then held his hand and began to squeeze it

 

 

"I'm sorry that this happened Neku… that I scared you like that" she says mournfully seeing how he's filled with grief

 

 

"You don't need to apologize, I'm just glad you're okay" Neku says sweetly

 

 

"I just wish this war never happened… that Joshua, Mr. H and all the other people in the Higher Plane could live in peace and… that we could too… I want to see the RG Shiki… one last time before the war." he adds in

 

 

"me too" shiki says mournfully

 

 

"but we don't even know when the war's going to start" she added "but it'd be better than just sitting here waiting for our world to end"

 

 

"yeah…" Neku says hanging his head

 

 

"How the hell are we going to survive this!?" Neku screamed in his head

 

 

"Is this going to be like World War I where the moment the soilders stuck their head out of their trenches that they get shot!? How do you fight a supernatural war!? On earth we have tanks, machine guns and bombs...but this is on another scale completely! ANYTHING could happen…

 

 

"And Shiki!" he screamed in his head

 

 

(by now his worry was overwhelming him to the point he was hiding his face in his funnel collar and hands in his pockets filled with concern)

 

 

"what if something happens to her!? What if something happens to Mr. H or Joshua!? What if the war goes to the RG killing everyone! Our families …Beat, Rhyme, and Eri… they're all down there! What if--

 

 

Neku was so anxious that now it was gut wrenching, he felt a crunching feeling in his stomach. He was so overwhelmed that the next thing he knew he felt Shiki's energy (as she held out her hand to him)touch him, feeling warmth like being near a heater

 

 

"Neku" she says sweetly

 

 

"I'm scared too, but please… don't bottle them up, don't hide your worries… if you do they hurt you… Please don't do this to yourself Neku. we can't freak out in the war." she added

 

 

"I know…" he replies weakly

 

 

As the Shiki began to concole Neku, her energy began to soothe him, wraping him in its warmth.

 

 

"you… you feel so warm" Neku says

 

"thanks…I… I feel a lot better now Shiki" he says softly

 

 

He then looks up at her and smiled

 

 

"I'm glad" she says smiling causing him to do the same

 

 

Neku then gets off of the bed extending his hand out Shiki

 

 

"can you get up by yourself?" he asked concerned

 

 

"yeah… I feel better thanks to you" she added smiling as she got off the bed

 

 

They then leave the house with Neku occasionally glancing at Shiki checking to see if she feels fatigue.

 

 

Neku then stops walking and holds her hand

 

 

"you ready?" he asks her

 

 

"Yeah… I want to go back… one last time" Shiki replies

 

 

"Alright I'll let Mr. H know" Neku replies

 

 

He then contacted Mr. H telepathically asking if it'd be okay if they could go back. Mr. H, knowing how important this is to them agrees that it's important for them to return. Mr. H then teleports them to the RG.

 

 

They open their eyes to see the real ground Shibuya

 

 

"We're really back" Neku says smiling

 

 

"yeah… wanna walk around a bit?" she asks smiling

 

 

"heh heh, yeah" he replied

 

 

The two friends walk around the city taking in all the sights, taking in the fact that the city isn't made of crystal and glass, that it was the real thing.

 

 

"I wonder how our families are holding up" Shiki tells Neku as they phase through cars while walking in the scramble crossing.

 

 

"yeah… me too" Neku says sadly

 

 

"you want to see yours first?" he asked

 

 

"I dunno… but… I think so… after all the last time we saw them was at my funeral" Shiki replied

 

 

"Yeah… and now cause of the Kanji we can't get in our houses" he says sadly

 

 

"well, I guess then all we can hope for is that they leave the house or something… if not, we can watch them from a window." Shiki added

 

 

"I guess that's all we can do" Neku says sadly

 

 

 

"yeah… so let's go Neku" she says sadly

 

 

 

The two friends then walked to Shiki's house, the streets felt so natural, the routine was so normal that without thinking Shiki tried to open the door to her house.

 

 

"ngh!" she cried as she felt a shock

 

 

"oh yeah… I'm dead." Shiki says darkly

 

 

Neku then hid his face in his collar and hands in his pockets

 

 

"I'm sorry" he says with heartache

 

 

"it's okay" she replied

 

 

They tried to look at the windows of her house to see Shiki's parents coping with her death better. Her mom would dust off Shiki's urn and spray perfume with the sent of cherry blossoms on the urn, to remind her of Shiki. After all that was one of her favorite smells to the point it's what her shampoo would smell like.

 

 

Shiki's dad then would hum a lullaby that he use to sing to her when she was little, called Takeda no Komorituda. (a popular Japanese cradle song)

 

 

"dad?" Shiki said wishing he could hear her.

 

 

"I've never seen him so… vulnerable…" Shiki tells Neku

 

 

"Neku… he hasn't humed or sang that song since I was four." she said sadly

 

 

He then looked at her with heart ache

 

 

"I wish you could go home Shiki… that the kanji wasn't there" he says sadly

 

 

"me too" she says weakly

 

 

Shiki then began to smile

 

 

"Shiki? You okay?" Neku asked concerned since this isn't really a happy situation

 

 

"yeah… I'm just happy… I'm happy that their living their lives… that even though I'm gone, that they still care about me… like with my mom keeping my urn clean and my dad huming my lullaby." she says happily

 

 

 

"well of course they care Shiki" Neku says smiling "they're your family after all…still it has to be hard you know?"

 

 

 

"You're an only child just like me… their only kid… gone…but… their clinging on to good memories of you. They keep going forward, trying to live the best they can." he adds in

 

 

"yeah… that's why I'm happy heh heh. I'm glad they're coping so well" shiki replied happily

 

 

"so… you wanna see your parents too?" Shiki asked him

 

 

"yeah… I hope they're dealing with it as well as your parents are" Neku says weakly

 

 

"I'm sure they're okay Neku" Shiki says sweetly

 

 

"thanks" he replied

 

 

They then walked over to Neku's place where he saw his mom through one of the windows.

 

 

The atmosphere in their house was much more sad then Shiki's.

 

 

He saw his mom getting out a blank poster and some spray paint cans.

 

 

"whoa… wait mom you… you liked graffiti all this time? I got that love for it … from you?" Neku says in shock

 

 

"you mean she never told you?" Shiki says in response

 

 

"no… she liked art, that much was obvious, cause she told me about how she use to draw a lot when she was my age… but she never brought up graffiti." Neku replied

 

 

His mother is where he got his looks from, except for his eyes. Pale skin and bright firey orange hair, just like Neku. Except her hair was also a little wavy and her eyes were green with a blue tint to it. Neku got the straightness of his hair and eyes from his dad as well as his lanky body.

 

 

He then noticed what she began spray painting… he couldn't help but begin to feel depressed.

 

 

It was Neku as a cloudy like mist smiling at her. The clouds behind him in the picture formed a circle with light coming out of it.

 

 

His mother was very good at applying detail when she drawed or spray painted, yet another gene he got from her.

 

 

Being quite skilled in graffiti art (due to how she was part of a Crew in the past) she pulled this off in a matter of seven minuets.

 

 

She then finished her creation with the words "I miss you" in kanji

 

 

"mom…" Neku said looking at her sadly

 

 

She then allowed the picture to dry and hanged it by his urn.

 

 

"do you think Neku would like it?" she asked her husband

 

 

"heh, I think he'd love it… I just wish he could see this" he responds sadly

 

 

"Who knows?" she replied "maybe somewhere… in some other life… he can see this…"

 

 

"yeah maybe…" he says sadly

 

 

Neku then sees his cat walk up to his dad and then lay on the floor and do nothing… she didn't even want to eat.

 

 

"Come on Aya" he says petting her

 

 

"Neku wouldn't like this… if only this cat could understand what I'm saying" he says sadly as he clasped his shoulder.

 

 

The moment Aya heard him say "neku" she walked to her food bowel.

 

 

Neku then let out a sigh of relief

 

 

"good" he thought "I'm glad she still remembers me"

 

 

But then Neku began to feel his water a little. He saw his dad cry for the first time.

 

 

"I'm going to keep his cat alive… no matter what. I want Aya to be happy" he says to his wife.

 

 

She then nods in agreement and says "it's the least we can do for him."

 

 

"Neku…" she said crying "I love you"

 

 

"I love you too mom" he replies wishing she could hear him.

 

 

Neku then hangs his head

 

 

"Neku…I'm sorry" she says sadly

 

 

"do you want to go?" she asked seeing how hurt he was

 

 

 He then looks towards Shiki

 

 

"yeah… I want to see our friends now… let's just--

 

 

He then sees his mom walk out of the house to go food shopping.

 

 

"mom!" Neku cried

 

 

He then ran to her and hugged her. Something he usually didn't do very often post Reaper's Game but just felt the need to do 

 

 

"does she feel me?" he wondered

 

 

She felt warmth at the moment he wrapped his arms around her.

 

 

"Neku? Is this you?" she says aloud

 

 

"yeah it's me mom…" Neku says sadly

 

 

She then instantly hears him

 

 

"Neku!" she cried

 

 

"I just wish she could see me" he thought

 

 

The moment he did this his ghostly form became visible causing her to gasp with fear and back away from him

 

 

Seeing his mom look so afraid made him wonder what was wrong

 

 

"mom what's wrong!?" Neku cried

 

 

"I …I thought the kanji was supose to help you rest in peace. So when I called your name you wouldn't come." she replies pale with fear

 

 

"I know… but I wanted to see you." he replies

 

 

She then extends her hand out to her son to try to feel him… but all she could feel was a chilling wind as her hand went through his ghostly "skin"

 

 

"you… you're really here." she says quietly

 

 

"yeah… please don't be afraid mom… I want you to be happy, you and dad and my kitty Aya. Please… please don't cry over my death anymore." he tells her

 

 

"I can only be here a certain amount of time… and I'm pretty sure I just broke a rule against spirits interacting with humans right now" he says scratching his head awkwardly

 

 

"you mean… I'm not suppose to see you" his mother says sadly

 

 

"well no… the living and dead aren't suppose to interact with each other. I'm just visiting here. So I can go back to the other side again." Neku informs her

 

 

"I… I'm so sorry mom… but… I need to go and--

 

 

He then felt her try to pat his head causing the cold wind to blow again.

 

 

"I'm guessing you couldn't feel me but… it's okay… I understand. I'm glad I was able to see you again. She says smiling

 

 

"yeah me too." Neku says smiling in return

 

 

"well I… I need to go back mom" he says sadly

 

 

She then takes a deep breath and releases it.

 

 

"okay" she says "at least I know now I'll see you again"

 

 

"yeah see you later mom" Neku says happily

 

 

"see you again" she says smiling

 

 

As Neku walked away his body began to fade from her view until he vanished completely.

 

 

"Neku!?" Shiki cried "what did you do!? You know we're not allowed to interact with human in the living world! We're lucky that we haven't gotten in trouble for Beat, Rhyme and Eri hearing us!" she cried hoping he wouldn't get in trouble

 

 

"yeah… I know… and well in all honesty I don't know what happened, I just wanted to see my mom again, I wanted her to see me and then next thing I knew, well...she saw me." he replied

 

 

She then giggled

 

 

"Neku you need to control your imagination better" she replied

 

 

"yeah… well it's not easy… but I'll try" he says reassuringly

 

 

they then walk around Shibuya a bit more to see Beat and Rhyme heading towards their house when yet again, a car came speeding towards them, but unlike last time. They were saved from the car.

 

 

"NO!" Neku cried

 

As the car speeded towards them Neku used his imagination to protect them

 

 

He then extended his hand out to them

 

 

"GO! GET OUT OF THE CAR'S WAY!" he screamed in his head

 

Beat and Rhyme then felt like someone had physically pushed them away from the car making them crash to the ground.

 

 

"oof!" Rhyme cried from the impact.

 

 

"Rhyme!" Beat cried pulling his sister towards her hugging her as his eyes watered

 

 

"Beat… I'm okay really" she replied

 

 

Eversince losing her in the Reapers' Game, Beat has become very protective of her, he hates the idea of anything happening to her.

 

 

"Do you think… that was Neku?" she said to him as they let go of each other and stood up

 

 

"Bwaahaah!" Beat cried

 

 

"Wach'u mean Rhyme? You really think as some ghost thing he… he could do that yo!?"

 

 

"well I don't see why not" she replied

 

 

The brother and sister then starred into the sky

 

 

"Neku man, if that was you… thanks" Beat in his head happily

 

 

"yeah" Rhyme says also in her head happily "I miss you guys! Make sure you keep Shiki happy… where ever you guys are."

 

 

"don't worry, I will" Neku says in response.

 

 

At that moment they hear a scream

 

 

"oh my gosh! Are you guys okay!?" the voice cried

 

 

It was Eri, she saw what happened and came running to Beat and Rhyme

 

 

"yeah we're okay" Rhyme says reassuringly once Eri caught up to them

 

 

"yeah…thanks to Phones" Beat added

 

 

"What!? N-Neku!? Beat that's crazy! Neku's dead!" she cried

 

 

"well yeah… we felt someone actually push us yo!" Beat declared

 

 

"You sure you're not imagining this? then again...I never thought something like the Reapers' Game was possible, and l know we've heard Neku and Shiki's voices, or...at least l think it's them. so...maybe he really did save you. I hope Neku and Shiki are okay… I wonder what's going on… they seem to be visting a lot. Sometimes when I go to sleep I see Shiki." she replies

 

 

"yeah I see her and Phones too" Beat added

 

 

"me too" Rhyme chimed in

 

 

"I hope something isn't happening to them… what if these dreams are a sort of warning that something's gonna happen… like Neku and Shiki are in trouble or something!?" Eri cried out

 

 

"nah you're jus' thinking too much. I'm sure that's jus' us missn' them." Beat says reassuringly

 

 

"Yeah Beat's right Eri, I'm sure Neku and Shiki are happy where ever they are." Rhyme added

 

 

"I guess you're right" Eri says in agreement

 

 

Neku and Shiki smiled seeing how they're hanging out together, supporting each other.

 

 

"come on, let's end this war so we can live like they want us too" Neku says to her

 

 

"yeah" Shiki responds agreeingly

 

 

The two friends are then teleported back to the Higher Plane.

 

 

However the moment they returned Neku had a vision… his demon energy was reacting to the demon energy of the demon realm. He could feel how vicious and blood thirsty they were, and it terrified him.

 

 

His vision was similar to his first one… when he saw Shiki fading away and him holding her crying from losing another friend… but this vision expanded on that concept…

 

 

as he saw himself crying he grew demon skin. His hair became pitch black with a blue tint to it. He was smiling at his dying friend

 

 

"Neku…" Shiki whispered in the vision "Please don't… don't do it"

 

 

He then electrocuted her with demon energy causing her body to fade into her energy pouring out of her… and was then absorbed by him.

 

 

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Neku screamed squeezing his hair from how real the vision felt

 

 

"Neku!" she cried

 

 

She saw him squeezing his hair from how anxious he was

 

 

She then is filled with anxiety 

 

 

"what's wrong Neku?" she asked urgently 

 

 

"I… I just had a vision… it was… you… I …I was a demon and… I--

 

 

"it's just a vision Neku. It's okay… it's not real" she told him reassuringly

 

 

Shiki then sees Neku let go of his hair and place his right hand on his shoulder 

 

 

"I don't want to be a monster… I don't want to hurt you" Neku says weakly

 

 

"and you won't Neku… I know won't" she says reassuringly

 

 

"What?… how can you be so sure? I attacked you remember?" Neku says sadly

 

 

"I know… but that wasn't you Neku… and I know you won't hurt me… cause I trust you." she says sweetly

 

 

"you… you do? Even after I attacked you… you still feel safe around me? Me… the person that almost killed you in the UG? The person that was tricked into almost killing you? I… I had to… that reaper, she was going to kill me if I didn't but--

 

 

"Neku… Shiki interrupted "I know you… you're an artistic, kind, and really cool person and very gentlemanly" she added remembering how he'd look out for her in the Repaer's Game when he finally liked her 

 

 

"You just wanted what everyone wants… to feel like people care about you, that you can trust them. You became a huge part of my life… and I feel like I did the same for you… so… that's why I know you'll do everything you can to keep me safe, and I'll do the same for you...to make sure we survive Neku." she says sweetly

 

 

"Yeah...thanks" Neku says weakly

 

 

"don't mention it" she replied

 

 

He then feels an intense amout of pain making him squeese his hair screaming in pain and then nearly collaspe

 

 

(it was the presence of the demons all at full blast, they were headed towards the Higher Plane. Since part of them is flowing inside of him, Neku was overwhelmed by feeling so much energy at once)

 

 

"NEKU!" she cried as she catches him helping Neku regain his balance

 

 

"what's wrong!?" she shrieked

 

 

"it's the demons" he says weakly

 

 

"I… I can feel them…ngh! They're coming" he replies

 

 

"what!? NO! we… we need to go to the Enlighted district so we can be stronger." she says

 

 

Shiki then closed her eyes and took a deep breath and released it.

 

 

Her hands then glowed pink and began to help Neku feel better.

 

 

"Shiki…. Thanks" he says weakly

 

 

"You're welcome" she says smiling

 

 

Neku then was able to stand on his own gentely removing her hands from his shoulders.

 

 

"you ready to Soul Surge?" she asked

 

 

"yeah" Neku replied holding her hand

 

 

They then transformed into their Enlightened forms and opened up a portal to the Enlightened realm where the war would take place.

 

 

To be continued…


	30. The War Ignites (Part 2)

When Neku and Shiki exist the portal they ended up in the Enlightened realm to see thousands of Angels and Enlightens amongst them. They even saw some Death Gods (aka Composers) at the battle field however they were farther away so the Enlightens wouldn't feel their pressence. Neku then notices the thousands of Demons in front of him making him feel nervous causing his eyes to turn red.

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki exclaimed "remember what Mr. H said"

 

 

She then held his hand causing him to relax

 

 

"yeah… I… I know" he replied

 

 

"I need to do this…" Neku thought "this is for Shiki… for Mr. H, Joshua …all of my friends… I need to focus on ending this war as soon as possible, I can't let this go to the RG."

 

 

He momentarly forgot that while in his Enlightend form their thoughts are spoke aloud causing Shiki to hear his concerns.

 

 

"and we won't Neku… we're gonna end this war" shiki says firmly trying to hide her fears of dying

 

 

"Y-yeah" Neku replied

 

 

 

He then noticed Clarissa smiling at him, she then snapped her fingers and went full blast, the other demons then did the same.

 

 

 

"there's too much demon energy!" he cried squeezing his hair

 

 

not wanting to show fear, Neku subconsciously set a barrier blocking out anyone from hearing his thoughts

 

 

"NO!" Neku roared in his head "I don't care how many of them there are… they… they have to go…I need to focus on my mind… use its power to kill these demons. …this is for Shiki"

 

 

 

"DON'T freak out! I'll be fine. I was fighting the dragon Noise that Shades made… I…I was on my own surrounded by him. I had no place to recover…and I...I almost died, I remember nearly collapsing, just hanging on to my arm, trying to run away from the multiple dragon heads...if it wasn't for my partners, I would of died." Neku thought worried

 

 

"Then there was the door… that door that led to the Composer's room…I didn't feel right, I felt unsafe not knowing what would wait on the other side of that door… but…I have to do this" he thought again

 

 

at that moment the barrier vanished

 

 

Shiki then held his hand tightly

 

 

"we'll win this Neku… your mind is stronger then mine, take advantage of that" she says reassuringly

 

 

He then took a deep breath and released it slowly, Shiki then did the same.

 

 

Clarissa then held up her hand and tilted towards the Composers' army

 

 

"Leave none of them alive… kill all the spirits in front of you." she says darkly

 

 

"CHAAAAAAAARGE!" she cried

 

 

The demons all let out a fearsome roar as they flew to the enemy unleashing demon energy at them.

 

 

The Composers' army did the same and let out roars of fury.

 

 

Neku and Shiki was also amongst them unleashing orbs of their energy at the demons.

 

 

However even at the start of the war, both angels and demons were unleashing screams of pain as they both face Soul Obstruction.

 

 

This made Neku uneasy causing him to unleash massive amounts of energy killing a lot of demons. As Shiki unleashes her energy she sees black strands of demon energy coming out of Neku's energy.

 

 

He then went to the ground growing legs and feet causing Shiki to do the same as he started unleashing physical attacks on the demons.

 

 

 

As an Enlighten, Neku and Shiki's stamina increase drastically causing Neku to be able to unleash powerful combos and attacks that only someone experienced with martial arts could pull off.

 

 

Everything seemed fine, and Neku and Shiki began to feel more confident in themselves, however as they felt this, they saw the demons summon Cresendo Noise.

 

 

Neku and Shiki saw an extremely powerful Noise that was half lion, half bear, and half elefant with tusks coming out of the sides of its face. It was also the size of a T-rex. Other Cresendo Noise appeared being half dinosaur also appeared. Some demons even recreated Sabor tooth Tigers and other extinct animals.

 

 

Neku then immediately held Shiki's hand so they could unleash their most powerful attack as Enlightens. They went to the sky and flew at incredible speeds. While doing so, they began to generate massive amounts of their energy while flying in a spiral like motion. They were then engulfed in their energies and went spiraling into the Noise unleashing a devastating explostion killing nearly half of the demon army.

 

 

"good" Neku said panting "we're really letting them have it"

 

 

"Yeah" Shiki replies also out of breath

 

 

They knew their enlighten forms were starting to weaken them, but they had no time to rest. They had to endure the fatigue and keep fighting, or it would cost them their lives.

 

 

The war went on for what felt like hours, more and more Demons and Angels faced Soul Obstruction, even other Enlightens were fading away.

 

 

The only spirits powerful enough to survive most of the "hours" were the Composers.

 

 

 

Seeing how the Demons became angry they then began to focus on killing the composers. They swarmed the Composer army killing even more Enlightens and Angels. Some of the Composers went into their human forms to conserve their energy so they wouldn't tire themselves out in the war.

 

 

The demons then attacked the Composers and tackled some of them, including Joshua.

 

 

Seeing this distracted Neku causing him to be slashed in the face

 

 

 

"NEKUUUUU!" Shiki cried fighting demons hoping to be able to help him.

 

 

As they attacked Joshua he let out a dark laugh

 

 

"Pitiful Demons" he says menacingly

 

 

Joshua then unleashed powerful amount of energy blowing up the demons that tackled him.

 

 

 

As shiki fought the Demons she saw a blast of Dark blue energy that blew up the demons surrounding him. Neku had successfully defended himself. He then flew over to Shiki so they could fight along side each other, slashing demons that got in his way.

 

 

They both unleashed orbs of energy blasting other demons and Crescendo Noise.

 

 

 

Mr. H then summoned the Taboo Noise to fight along side him in the war.

 

 

Neku then gasped at the sight of them seeing a Taboo Rhino charging at the demons, and taboo kangaroos, and wolves also attacking.

 

 

"they… they're on our side now?" Neku exclaimed

 

 

"Looks like it" shiki says weakly

 

 

They both were starting to feel pain from being in their Enlighten forms for so long. Sencing this fatigue, Mr. H began to become concerned for Neku wondering if the demon energy would take over him when he's at a certain moment of fatiuge.

 

 

Now Neku and Shiki were half Enlighten, some of the remaining Enlightens around them were also in their half Enlighten state.

 

 

"Nngh!" Neku grunted "we… we can't keep this up"

 

 

He then unleashed more enrgy out of him causing him to grunt in pain.

 

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki exclaimed from seeing him in pain.

 

 

She ran to him generating her healing energy.

 

 

As she ran to him she noticed a demon charging up lighting as Neku felt so weak that he used his arm as a crutch panting from exausten

 

 

"NO!" she thought that demon's going to blaset evenmore energy in him.

 

 

 

"NEKU LOOK OUT!" she cried

 

 

But it was too late, the demon had then unleshed the lightning at Neku.

 

 

With no time to react all Neku could to was shield his face from the blast forming an "x" with his arms… the same way he shielded himself when he was nearly shot by Sho Minamimoto.

 

 

"Nngh!" he heard a voice grunt

 

 

 

He then lowered his hands to see her protecting him.

 

 

"Shiki…" Neku thought

 

 

He sees her with her arms extending outward shielding him from the lighting, she received the blow in her stomatch.

 

 

She then began to pant from the pain

 

 

"N…Neku…I'm not… going to let you… get hurt." she says weakly

 

 

"no…Shiki…you… why did you do that?" he says weakly

 

 

"Cause...I ..I want to be there for you Neku... no matter what" Shiki replies

 

 

One of the Demons seeing this begins to laugh at him.

 

 

"this is war… did you really think you'd fight this unharmed?" he says smiling

 

 

Other demons sence the weakened Neku and Shiki and target them

 

 

Mr. H sees the demons start to target one area.

 

 

"No!" Mr. H thought with horror

 

 

 

"Joshua they're targeting Phones and Shiki! I gotta help them out." he cried

 

 

Thousands of angels unleashed angel fire at the demons they're facing. They too were reaching their limit. Some of the Angels became so weak that they returned to their human form. Seeing this vulnerability the human forms were killed instantly by reciving stabs in the head, chest and neck.

 

 

Joshua then dialed numbers into his phone while in the air and unleashed rays of light blowing up more demons.

 

 

"they have to handle this on their own. If Neku loses conrol then we have no choice but to get involved." Joshua says darkly

 

 

By now Neku and Shiki were Fledglings they couldn't be in their Enlightened forms anymore.

 

 

 

Neku then let out a low pitched growl seeing himself surrounded by demons.

 

 

"I'm not gonna let you hurt her" he growled

 

 

"Neku" Shiki says sadly

 

 

She attempted to heal him but his energy burned her. Just touching Neku made her feel pain. His Demon energy was consuming him at an alarming rate.

 

 

Shiki then let out a grunt of pain

 

 

"I…I can't even touch him?!" she thought "how am I suppose to heal him?!"

 

 

Neku then skipped his first two forms and went straight to the third form and then unleashed an enraged roar. The energy consumed him so quickly that he was in the complete tranformation with his dark gray hair and blank red eyes.

 

 

He hen charged at the demons slashing them with his claws roaring as he killed them.

 

 

"H-hey we're one of you!" one of the demons cried seeing Neku charge at him

 

 

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Neku scramed as slashed the demon in the face.

 

 

Neku then began to growl as his black fire surged dancing wildly.

 

 

 

He then killed so many demons that the demon army was reduced to less than half of the demons they started with.

 

 

As Neku continued his rampage he felt someone takle him

 

 

"Grrrrrr LET ME GO!" Neku roared

 

 

It was Mr. H squeezing Neku's hands trying desperately to hold him down as the demonic boy was squirming trying to break free.

 

 

Seeing how one of the most powerful Angels of the Higher Plane was distracted, the demons then killed more of the Composers' army reducing them to less then half of the spirits they started with as well.

 

 

Clarissa was satisfied watching all of this happen as she attacked Joshua.

 

 

She knew now she had to push Neku one last time… and he would be completely consumed by her power.

 

 

Mr. H unleashed a massive amount of energy destroying all the demons near him.

 

 

He then wrapped himself and Neku in a barrier neutralizing the energy inside of Neku.

 

 

But now the energy was extremely powerful, making the fire he's engulfed in surge like lightning.

 

 

"come on Phones! You gotta come back, you've gotta calm down!" Mr. H cried

 

 

Mr. H then unleashed his white energy on Neku neutralizing him.

 

 

"Alright" Mr. H though "Joshua you'll half to take over"

 

 

"Got it, I'm on my way" Joshua replies telepathically

 

 

He then switches place with Mr. H

 

 

Since there was less chaos with half of the armies both nearly out of people to fight, both armies fought more cautiously

 

 

Mr. H then takes Shiki away from Neku and tells her that in order to keep Neku from going full blast in the war that they'd have to rely on Joshua's power to keep Neku neutralized

 

 

A mournfull Shiki then leaves Neku with Mr. H and kills Demons alongside him

 

 

"Please… don't lose yourself Neku" Shiki thinks

 

 

Joshua then goes to Neku in his human form

 

 

"Nngh!" A tired Neku lets out a grunt of pain, from the Demon energy hurting him.

 

 

He then manages to get to his feet

 

 

"Joshua… what's going on?" Neku asks confused

 

 

He noticed that he was far away from the battle field

 

 

"That was Mr. H's doing, he used Angel energy to blow up a lot of the demons near him, so they backed off and tried moving to another area to fight." Joshua replied

 

 

"how?" Neku says sadly "How the hell is this going to end? What are going to do?"

 

 

"Neku" Joshua replied "Don't tell me you're giving up…"

 

 

"huh?" Neku replied confused

 

 

"Don't you remember? Give up on yourself and you give up on the world…" Joshua responded

 

 

"Yeah… thanks Joshua" he replied weakly

 

 

Joshua then placed his hand on Neku's shoulder giving him a boost of energy.

 

 

"You ready?" Joshua asks smiling

 

 

"Yeah" Neku said smiling

 

 

They then returned to the battle field to see Shiki in her Enlightend form once again alongside Mr. H at full blast

 

 

"Good" Neku thought "She's gotten some strength back"

 

 

"This is for Shiki" he reminded himself

 

 

"I…I need to help her… to be there for her… I have to tame my imagination. That way… there's no stopping me" he thought

 

 

As the two boys ran to battle Neku began to harness his mind. He summoned spray paint cans to fall from the sky and pressed down the nozzle on the spray paint cans to unleash lava from the one held in his right hand, and fire unleashed from the can held in his left hand.

 

 

"Whoa" Shiki exclaimed seeing the demons and Cresendo Noise engulfed in the lava and fire

 

 

"is that… is that Neku?" she exclaimed in shock while fighting along side Mr. H

 

 

"Yeah" he replied

 

 

 

"He's thinking about how he needs to be strong, to be there for you, causing him to finally tame his out of control imagination" Mr. H replied

 

 

 

Taping into his mind even more, Neku summoned a music staff and slashed demons with it while summoning music notes to fall from the sky blowing up demons and Crescendo Noise from the impact.

 

 

 

Neku then closed his eyes and began to tap his foot to mimic the sound of a heart beat.

 

 

As he did this, he caused tremors that broke the glass floor he then used telekinesses to throw the glass shards at the demons. As more demons and demon Noise flew towards Neku, he then closes his eyes and placed his hands on his head as he summoned twisters all around the demons, ripping them up and sending them flying back.

 

 

He then opened his eyes and used his angel technique of shooting orbs at the demons and their demonic noise and concentrated makng a massive boulder sized one and shot it at the demons making multiple demons and demon noise explotde

 

Seeing how his Proxy was doing so well, Joshua smiled

 

 

"Good work Neku" He said pleased

 

 

Neku then kept fighting summoning more lava towards the demons and demon noise burning thousands of them and summoned lightning to strike the demons too. Seeing Neku do all these attacks at once then made Neku pant out of breath.

 

 

Joshua then told Neku to get behind him as he unleashed a massive blast of energy destroying more Demon Noise and and demons.

 

 

It seemed like the war was finally about to end however, Neku noticed Joshua was getting to his limit. In his human form Joshua can feel fatique much more drastically then in his Composer form.

 

 

"Joshua are you--"

 

 

Neku then notices a pink light falling towards him.

 

 

"SHIKIIIIIII!" Neku cried

 

 

She was overwhelmed by Crecendo Noise and Demons, they separated her from Mr. H knowing that he would be able to protect her.

 

 

She was returning to her Fledgling form yet again, however, switching back and forth between the forms over and over was putting a massive strain on her body. Shiki was at the brink of Fading.

 

 

Neku runs to his friend using his mind to make her fall in his direction again to he can try to heal her. But Neku was also feeling fatiuge the burst of energy Joshua had given him was losing its effect causing him to feel exhausted from switching between his forms, and getting attacked by demons.

 

 

Joshua, as tired as he was tapped into his Composer powers to heal himself, plus with not as many Enlightens alive Joshua was able to go full blast and kill the demons more effectively.

 

 

As Neku ran to Shiki with her energy beginning to leak out of her he saw demons and Crecendo Noise tackle her to the ground. Taboo Noise tried frighting them off, but they were erased.

 

 

 

"NOOOOOOO!" Neku roared 

 

 

"I'm not going to let them kill you!" he cried

 

 

But at that moment he too was tackled by demons that began to feed off of his energy, hurting him until just like Shiki, his energy became visible too.

 

 

Neku was smothered in the black energy of the demons, he couldn't see anything. They all unleashed so much pressure that he couldn't move.

 

 

"Shi…ki…" he whispered weakly

 

All he could do was lay on the ground feeling the demons slash his body over and over.

 

 

Neku was ready to give in to his demon energy since he knows he can't activate his Enlighten form alone.

 

 

"it's… it's my only chance…Shiki… she's at the verge of dying. But… if it takes over me… what if I kill her?! What if I--

 

 

Neku then hears the demons scream in pain and sees a bright ray of energy.

 

 

"Mr. H…" Neku says weakly

 

 

"Come on kiddo, Shiki needs you." Mr. H says

 

 

"Ngh…yeah" Neku says filled with pain

 

 

He then ran over to Shiki as he saw more pink energy being released unaware that his energy was leaking too. All he focused on was Shiki.

 

 

Neku then screamed her name as he unleashed orbs of energy at the demons killing a few of them allowing him to get near Shiki.

 

 

However indoing so, he was speeding up his Soul Obstruction. His energy began to surge like lightning causing it to break into little specks, the tips of his fingers began to fade into sparks of light.

 

 

This then caused more demons focus on Neku pinning him to the ground the same way Mr. H had in their training.

 

 

Neku then lifted his face to see Shiki pinned down in the same way.

 

 

They were helpless within the chaos of the war, Shiki had lost Mr. Mew. Joshua was fighting Demons and so was Mr. H.

 

 

Everyone was preoccupied with fighting for their lives. No one could help them. Neku and Shiki had nothing to defend themselves with. There was nothing they could do.

 

 

They looked into each other's eyes seeing how badly wounded they were. Each friend had their clothes torn and scratches all over their bodies.

 

 

They both even had pieces of glass on them from being slammed into the ground from the demons attacking them.

 

 

More and more of Neku and Shiki's energy broke apart into little specs in the sky.

 

 

Neku noticed Shiki's finger tips also turning into sparks of energy.

 

 

The two friends began to see each other's eyes water knowing they were about to die.

 

 

However at the same time… they smiled at each other, they were happy they got to see each other one last time before fading away.

 

 

 

Regardless of how they were both wrapped in pain to the point it hurt them to move, they managed to slide their hands to each other. They were so weak all they could do was hold each other's fading fingers.

 

 

Neku manages to hold Shiki's pointer and middle finger by wrapping his pointer and middle finger around hers.

 

 

 

 

She then manages to do the same.

 

 

They thought about the time they spent in the UG, getting to know each other. Protecting each other. And their time in the RG together, all the times Neku and Shiki would draw together, being in school together. Being with Eri, Beat and Rhyme, and their families.

 

 

…and how in a matter of minuetes, they'd never see them again.


	31. Breaking Point

The two friends give into the fatigue as more and more of their energy spreads apart breaking into pieces in the sky.

 

 

The war raged on as the angels and Composers all unleashed energy killing the demons. Only a few of them remain. The Composers hurled Suns at the demons incinerating them. Some Angels then summoned Galaxies and sucked the Demons inside them. The war was nearly at an end as the two fledglings faded.

 

 

Neku begins to remember all the things he went through, both in the RG and UG, and how CAT was always there for him.

 

 

 

"Shiki" he says weakly "What happens …when a …spirit dies? Where… do we… go… from here?"

 

 

"I… I don't know… but… I guess we'll…find out …soon" she replies weakly

 

 

"This is it" Neku thought "it's really all over now…my…my vision's getting blury"

 

 

Unknown to Neku… it wasn't from tears building up that his vision began to blur… Neku was about to fade away.

 

 

Energy then leaked out even more as his back began to have sparks of light come out of it. Shiki… was suffering the same fate as well. Her back began to release sparks of light.

 

 

Shiki stared into Neku's eyes crying once again. Both of their irises had become blury to the point their pupils don't even show.

 

 

"I don't…Nngh! I don't … want… to ….leave …you" Shiki says weakly

 

 

"Ngh.. me…either" Neku replied

 

 

He began to remember his time in the Higher Plane, his time with Joshua and Mr. H. As he did this Neku remembered something Mr. H had told him.

 

 

"you don't have just that demon energy anymore, my energy's in you too. Focus on the Angel Energy, not the Demon Energy"

 

 

"Heh heh, that's right" Neku thought "I have Angel energy in me, I used it to heal Shiki when she began to fade…maybe…I can do it again"

 

 

Neku then began to close his eyes to concintrate unawaringly scarring Shiki by seeing him close his eyes.

 

 

"no…Neku…Ngh please… don't close your eyes… Don't fade away…ngh please" she says with heart ache

 

 

"Don't worry Shiki…ngh…I …I'll be okay…I'm going …to make… you …better" he says weakly

 

 

As Neku focused on healing Shiki, how he wanted her to survive, his fading energy began to turn completely darkblue and then became white. The energy then went over to Shiki causing her Energy to flow back into her body.

 

 

Shiki stared at him in amazement that even as weak as he felt that he could generate this much energy.

 

 

"N…Neku… you really… you're really healing me"she says softly

 

 

All of her cuts from crashing on the glass floor of the Enlightened realm were gone. Neku still hasn't perfeced the technique so she still has cuts and bruses from being attacked by demons… but all of her strength was back and all of her energy was back inside her. Not a single speck of pink energy remained.

 

Although Neku hadn't realized it, he had used up all his strength and put himself even closer to fading away.

 

 

 

Shiki then wrapped all her fingers around his middle and pointer finger.

 

 

"Now it's my turn to heal you" she says sweetly

 

 

As she says this to him Neku could barely hear her.

 

 

All of his senses were starging to shut down.

 

 

"Shiki…Nngh… please speak…louder…I… I can bare…ly…hear…you." He says barely beyond a whisper

 

 

"Everything's going numb" he thought "I can barely feel her hold my hand…and I'm so cold…I can't… I can't hear her that well…my eyes… everything's going blurry…is this… is this what death feels like? …Am I…about to die?"

 

 

 

"NO!" Shiki screamed "Neku please stay with me! LOOK AT ME NEKU DON'T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF ME PLEASE!"

 

 

She then squeezed his hand tightly focusing her energy to heal Neku. She had a very limited amount of time to do this. Neku's body had become the energy flowing out of him. His entire body was white outlined in darkblue.

 

 

As she did this Neku whispered something that made her even more determind to save him.

 

 

"Shiki…I'm… I'm not gonna make it" he says with heartache

 

 

"Don't talk like that Neku… don't give up on yourself" she replied firmly

 

 

The moment she did this her pink energy engulfed Neku. She knows this technique was mainly fo neutralizing Neku's Demon energy, but she didn't care, she was determined to save him no matter what.

 

 

"You used all your strength to save me" she thought "Now I'm going to do the same for you"

 

 

Her powerful thoughts amplified her energy, and although she never realized it, she unleashed angel energy on Neku healing him the same way.

 

 

Neku was barley even conscience when she did this, his eyes were a dark blue with a gray tone to it. He was barley even with her. But as the energy healed him, his eyes (though still blurry) returned to being Blue gray.

 

 

His cuts and brusses began to fade away, and all his energy went back inside his body.

 

 

As he regained conciousness he then thought in shock

 

 

"Shiki? Did I…did I give you my Angel Energy?"

 

 

When every single speck of darkblue energy was back inside him Shiki then let go of his hand.

 

 

"Neku! How do you feel are you okay?" she asked concerned

 

 

By now Neku's eyes were filled with brightness again and all his senses returned.

 

 

"Shiki…thank you…I … was about to die wasn't I?" he says weakly

 

 

"Yeah…you… you really were…I don't know how but…I unleashed Angel Energy." she replied

 

 

"I'm the one who should be thanking you, if you hadn't healed me then I wouldn't have had the strength to do the same for you" she added in sweetly as she helped him get back to his feet

 

 

The two friends gaze in shock at the war witnessing the angels and composers unleash black holes and Suns at the Demons.

 

 

The Angels and Composers then did a Soul surge

 

 

(since they're already powerful beings they didn't go through a transformation, instead it enabled them to drastically amplify their attacks and unleash one devastating final blow on the demon army.)

 

 

"Fall back!" Clarissa cried "It's over"

 

 

The remaining demons then went back to their portals and returned to their dimension.

 

 

"it's finally over" Mr. H says weakly

 

 

"Yeah… looks like The Higher Plane's still pretty good at fighting" Joshua says smugly

 

 

They then notice that Neku and Shiki had survived. Fearing the worse and on top of that, being caught up in the war, Mr. H and Joshua had thought they were gone.

 

 

They then teleported to Neku and Shiki and returned to their human forms walking over to the two friends.

 

 

"Phones, Shiki… you guys okay!?" Mr. H asked concerned

 

 

"Yeah we could sense you two falling apart, that you were at the verge of fading away." Joshua adds slyly while pulling back his hair

 

 

Neku then hides his face causing Shiki to hold his hand

 

 

"Y…yeah we're fine" Neku says darkly

 

 

"I don't know how… but I unleashed the Angel energy you gave me Mr. H, and I heald Shiki."

 

 

"yeah…and he somehow put the energy inside me, allowing me to heal him" Shiki added

 

 

"really?" Mr. H asked in shock

 

 

"heh, well I'm glad he did cause it saved you two." he adds in smiling

 

 

"heh, you really are such a High Mind Neku… no ordinary Fledgling could handle having all that energy inside themselves.

 

 

And as for you Shiki, you've become very strong to be able to handle having two different energies inside you" Joshua adds in

 

 

"r…really? I'm…I'm really getting stronger?" Shiki asked in shock

 

 

"well yeah Shiki" Mr. H replied smiling "you didn't even have your toy to help you and you still managed to fight with out him"

 

 

Shiki then gasped (with the chaos of the war gone she was able to take a minute and think)

 

 

"Mr. Mew!" she cried "where… where did I put him?! Where is he? Do you know Mr. H?!"

 

 

"I'm sorry Shiki, I know how much that thing means to ya, but I don't know where he could be" Mr. H replied sadly

 

 

Joshua being amused by this situation let out a rather cold remark

 

 

"Don't be so sad over a toy Shiki. Toys are for children, which you obviously are not"

 

 

Shiki then hanged her head trying not to cry.

 

 

Neku, being enraged by what Joshua said began to squeeze Shiki's hand

 

 

"Neku?" Shiki says confused

 

 

"he's not some toy!" Neku roared

 

 

"You don't know what he means to her, how she spent all that time and effort making that. It's not a toy, it's Shiki's first creation. The very first thing she ever sewed!"

 

 

"Yes, that may be but still, you all should be more focused on how you nearly died Neku." Joshua said coldly

 

 

"If you haden't had gotten reckless by running after Shiki with your energy leaking out then you wouldn't have been in that situation" Joshua said slyly

 

 

Neku became so angry by what Joshua was saying that he lifted his face from his funnel collar screaming at Joshua.

 

 

"SO THEN WHAT THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSE TO DO!? LET SHIKI DIE!? SCREW THAT! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'D LET HER DIE THAT WAY!"

 

 

"Neku…" Shiki says sadly

 

 

"well I wouldn't go that far" Joshua replied "but still, that essentially would've been the better choice"

 

 

"Grrr you annoying little snot! you don't care about her at all do you!? You just--

 

 

He then felt Shiki squeeze his hand with tears streaming down her face

 

 

"so…Neku almost died because of me!?"she screamed

 

 

"what!? No! Shiki… that wasn't you! Joshua…. He… he's right" Neku admitied mournfully

 

 

This caused everyone to look at him in shock

 

 

"I… was careless. I should've made a plan. A strategy to save you but… I just dived right in not knowing what to do. All I was focusing on was you." Neku said sadly

 

 

"Phones it's okay" Mr. H says placing his hand on Neku's shoulder

 

 

"You did what you thought was right. You handled that situation the best you could" he added smiling

 

 

This in turn caused Neku to smile.

 

 

"thanks Mr. H" he replies

 

 

Shiki then smiled as well she was glad Neku was happy

 

 

"so what about Shiki's piggy? He… he means so much to her and I… I just wish she had him back" he says sadly

 

 

Letting go of her hand, he then places his hands on his head and Neku then closed his eyes

 

 

"Neku what are you doing?" Shiki asked confused

 

 

"focus" he told himself

 

 

He then began to imagine what Mr. Mew feels like, what he looks like. How he moved. Eveything.

 

 

At the moment he did this, Mr. Mew fell from the sky.

 

 

He then opened his eyes

 

 

"Huh?! Neku how did you--

 

 

Shiki then extends her hands out to catch the "piggy"

 

 

"This… this is really him. Neku… you recreated him to every last detail" she says happily

 

 

Neku then awkwardly scratched his head

 

 

"heh heh, well I just wanted you to have your piggy again" he admits blushing a little

 

 

"heh heh, it looks like you've gotten more control over your mind Phones" Mr. H says happily

 

 

"yes, you're improving at a very fast rate Neku" Joshua says slyly once again

 

 

 

"yeah… but… we won the war.. That means the back up plan's gonna happen. Now that the war's over… what's gonna happen to me?" Neku says sadly

 

 

"I don't want to be broken beyond repair. I don't want to lose my mind" Neku adds in

 

 

"I'm not sure what will happen Phones, but don't stress so much over it. You know by now what your anger and anxiety can do to you here" Mr. H says darkly

 

 

 

"Yeah…I know" Neku says weakly

 

 

With Mr. Mew now on her shoulder again Shiki holds his hand again

 

 

"It'll be okay Neku" she says sweetly

 

 

"you… you sure?" Neku says still filled with sadness

 

 

"Yeah I'm sure… we're all here to help you Neku remember that" she says sweetly to him

 

 

"yeah… thanks" he replies

 

 

Mr. H then opens a portal for them to return to the Fledgling district. When Neku and Shiki return to their after life Shibuya they were shocked to see thousands of Fledglings roaming the city.

 

 

(Unknown to them is that they grew a little stronger in the war enabling their energy to sense the energy of other spirits, allowing them to see how populated the city really was.)

 

 

"that's…that's that Mina girl right?" Neku says hurt

 

 

"Yeah she's one of Eri's friends… one of the people who was shot" Shiki says

 

 

Neku then became extremely pale remembering how Mina fell to the floor and the loud thumps of students falling dead on the floor. These memories then caused Neku to hand his head

 

 

"Neku" Shiki says sweetly "they're all safe now. Ai, Mina, and all the other kids who were shot and sent here, they're all here now and I doubt there will be as many demons attacking fledglings with the war being over."

 

 

Hearing her gentle words then returned color back to Neku's face

 

 

"yeah… that's a good point… but… the only demon here… is me" Neku says weakly

 

 

Shiki then looks at him sadly

 

 

"Neku, you sound like you've already given up. Remember what Mr. H said? Focus on the Angel Energy not the Demon Energy." She replies sweetly

 

 

"yeah…that… that should keep me safe right?" Neku repied

 

 

"Exactly. it'll be okay Neku" Shiki added smiling

 

 

"thanks" he said smiling back

 

 

The two friends then walk around Shibuya and realized it's as if they are in the UG again.

 

 

Although Neku and Shiki are Fledglings they weren't just born like most of Fledglings in the HP Shibuya walking in front of them. They've grown stronger and because of this their energies can sense them, but not the other way around.

 

 

 

"heh heh, this is almost like being in the UG again" Shiki remarked at how the new fledglings couldn't see them

 

 

 

"yeah… they can't see you, hear you, and most definitely won't help you. trusting your partner is the only way to survive here." Neku says quoting Mr. H

 

 

 

This then caused Shiki to giggle

 

 

"This is just like old times" she added in

 

 

"yeah… being shoved back into what I thought was a dream at first and then spiraled into a nightmare… the Reapers' Game." Neku remarked

 

 

"I can only imagine what going through that for three weeks was like…I guess I technically was there for about as long as you but still…" shiki added

 

 

As the friends walked around the city Neku felt his demon energy spike up at an alarmingly fast rate.

 

 

 

He began to scream in pain as black fire engulfed his body burning him. He began to tremble from the pain and squeeze his hair.

 

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki cried

 

 

She then generated her pink energy to heal and neutralize him. She then placed her hands on his shoulders attempting to help him, but this caused her to scream in pain as well.

 

"NO!" she thought "I'm not gonna let you turn into a monster!"

 

 

She then began to squeeze his shoulders desperately trying to heal him, but his demon energy was already extremely powerful. It was beyond her abilites.

 

 

 

Shiki could only neutralize his first and second form. Now that his energy had leaked out his third form muiltiple times it was extremely hostile, one more push and Neku would lose himself.

 

 

 

 

The demon energy then began to react to Shiki by becoming like lightning. This then caused Neku to scream at the top of his lungs in pain to the point of crying.

 

 

 

It then unleashed a powerful blast of energy sending Shiki away from him.

 

 

She crashed to the ground and then threw Mr. Mew at Neku as he transformed into his panther form.

 

 

The Panther Mr. Mew then held Neku to the ground as Shiki then shot her healing energy into him hoping the energy would flow into Neku. But it only caused the Panther to go flying back to Shiki as a toy.

 

 

Neku then layed on the floor currled into a ball screaming.

 

 

"MAKE IT STOOOOOOP!" he cried "I'M BURNIIIIING!"

 

 

"NEKUUUU!" Shiki cried

 

 

She then ran over to him generating her healing energy again but this time she tried to generate the Angel energy inside her… except she still doesn't know how to control it.

 

 

"come on!" she thought "I need to activate that Angel Energy that Neku gave me, I need ot help him"

 

 

She tries to make her pink energy turn white but it didn't work.

 

 

The demon energy shot a bolt of lightning at Shiki electrocuting her sending her flying back yet again.

 

 

She then lays on the floor to see a white orb come near her. When it touched her it then engulfed her.

 

 

She was inside the orb flying away from Neku.

 

 

"No.." she said with her eyes shaking

 

 

"Neku… I don't want to leave you" she says sadly

 

 

The orb then brought her to the Enightened realm where she saw Mr. H and Joshua. They were observing Neku through a portal they made.

 

 

"Mr. H! Joshua!" Shiki cried "Neku's in trouble! His demon energy is so hostile now it's as if it had a mind of its own when I tried healing him. It actually attacked me! We need to help him, we need to--

 

 

Mr. H then places his hand on her shoulder

 

"the Higher Ups have instructed us not to interfere, Neku is lost now… it's happening Shiki. So for The Higher Plane's safety they have instructed us to not to go near him." Mr. H says sadly

 

 

"WHAT!?" Shiki cried "WE CAN'T JUST STAND HERE AND DO NOTHING! WE CAN'T JUST ABANDON HIM!"

 

 

"Shiki" Joshua says crossing his arms "His demon energy's neutralization is fading away… it's stopped working, there's nothing we can do now. Higher Ups' orders."

 

 

"and just who are they!?" she cried

 

 

"Angels that have lived in the Higher Plane a lot longer than me. They're the beings that carry out the orders of the Angel before them, the one who made the Higher Plane Shiki. So it's their rules, their world. Right now, Neku is too risky be around...and it is considered beneath Death Gods to try to help a human soul" Joshua replied

 

 

"Angel of Death...that person is the original? but what is a Death God? Is that another name for a Composer?" she asked

 

 

"Yes" he replied "As a Composer, I'm relatively new despite how many Reapers' Games I've done before. I've only been the Composer of Shibuya for several years." he explained

 

 

"But I'm not a Maestro, that's another name the Higher Ups go by. They are descendants of the one who made the Higher Plane, so even though I have some authority as Composer of Shibuya there are things even I can't do"

 

 

"so… this is it?" Shiki said with her eyes beginning to water

 

 

"I'm afraid so" Joshua replied

 

 

All three of them then look into the portal to see Neku crying evenmore.

 

 

"no…" Neku said weakly "Shiki… where are you!? I…I need help…someone help me…it hurts… I…I can barely feel my own energy anymore or the angel energy."

 

 

"She's gone Neku" a voice said

 

 

 

The familiarity of the voice then caused Neku to gasp with fear

 

 

"No… Clarissa… why? Why are you doing this?" he said aloud

 

 

 

"because I need you to get used to demon energy silly. But she IS gone Neku. You're little friend left you all alone. She abandoned you." Clarissa said slyly

 

 

"NO!" Neku roared "she wouldn't do that! Shiki wouldn't leave me I know she wouldn't!"

 

 

"then why isn't she here?" Clarissa remarked "she doesn't sound like a good friend if she's leaving you like this…heh heh… you should've known this would happen Neku"

 

 

"What? What do you mean?" Neku asked

 

"Nothing lasts forever Neku, you've experienced first hand the pain and sadness people inflict upon each other. You know how that feels." she replied

 

 

"but I know Shiki wouldn't abandon me… all of them, Beat, Rhyme, Joshua and Shiki they all proved to me that not everyone is bad." Neku replied

 

 

"I know what you want" he added "you want me to become a demon but what good will that do? You demons think you're strong by acting like monsters, but you're all hurt from missing the lives you once had"

 

 

"Oh please. You've been hanging with that Angel friend haven't you? They pity us Neku… you can't trust anyone… especially humans.

 

 

 

How do you know your friendship with these people will last? Can you merge your mind and soul with them in the RG and become apart of them?" she asked

 

 

"N…no I can't, but I trust them and--

 

 

"YOU TRUST THEM?!" Clarissa screamed in his head

 

 

"DON'T BE SO NAÏVE NEKU! You felt the same way about your friends in the past and look at what happened! If we were alive, I'd be 17 and you'd be 15 there's a two-year gap between us… a lot can happen in that time Neku…I'm telling you because I know from experience that this will happen again" Clarissa roared

 

 

"no" Neku says weakly

 

 

"they… they won't do that" he said sadly

 

 

"nothing lasts forever Neku" she repeated "they'll leave you… like everyone else"

 

 

Neku then felt his head pounding in addition to the demon energy surging causing him to scream in pain.

 

 

It was Clarissa unleashing her power on him overwhelming him with her energy. At last her plan has now pulled through. She wanted to consume Neku slowly, so for now she's merely breaking his energy and mind apart.

 

 

Now barely any trace of the angel energy remains in him.

 

 

When the pain finally stopped he opened his eyes and let go of his hair.

 

 

Shiki, Mr. H and Joshua watched from the Enlighened realm everything that had happened.

 

 

"you can see it can't you?" Mr. H asked Joshua telepathically

 

"yeah" he replied "Neku's energy is broken again… instead of being like an aurora borealis, it's just a white mist outlined in dark blue with dark blue specks all around it. Neku… his mind and Soul is exactly the way it was before he entered the Reapers' Game"

 

 

Mr. H then sighed and scratched his head

 

 

"shiki… it's over now… it's pointless to go see Neku now…his energy is broken" he says sadly

 

 

"no…" Shiki says sadly "I… I NEED to know what she's done to him… I need to see him Mr. H please"

 

 

"shiki I don't think that's--

 

"PLEASE Mr. H! PLEASE! I need to know.." Shiki says strongly

 

 

 

Mr. H then sighed again and opened a portal to the Fledgling district

 

 

Shiki then arrived to see Neku standing with his hands in his pockets hiding his face until only his orange bangs showed.

 

 

 

"Neku? Hey Neku are you okay?" Shiki asked running to him

 

 

 

"what the hell!?" Neku thought "how does this girl know my name? Is she come kind of stalker!?"

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki cried

 

 

"Damn it why the hell is she running up to me? Why can't she just go away!? I don't even know this kid." he thought

 

 

"I just need to start walking. I need to get away from her. Damn it where are my headphones!? …if… if I had them this would be so much easier… I can't even listen to my music. I'll have to look for them later." he thought again

 

 

She then calls out to Neku again

 

 

"Hey what's wrong?!" she shouted

 

 

but he stood and said nothing, he raised his face only exposing his eyes and nose and then looked down retreating to his bangs making them cover his eyes again

 

 

 

Shiki then caught up to him and asked him a question

 

 

"Hey, Neku what's wrong?" she asked

 

 

he then looked a her for a few seconds and hid his face again, startling Shiki making her get mad

 

 

"hey don't ignore me!" she said firmly

 

Neku then turned his back to her and began walking away from her making Shiki follow him.

 

 

"Neku? don't tell me you're...no don't do this, not after all that happened in the UG" she thought sadly

 

 

Hearing her foot steps, Neku then walked at a fast pace trying to lose the "stalker"

 

 

"Damn it she's still following me!" Neku thought from the sound of her foot steps going even faster

 

 

"why is he ignoring me? What did she do to you Neku?" Shiki thought getting angry

 

 

"NEKU!" Shiki cried furiously "NEKU WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

 

 

"Trying to lose you" he thought

 

 

Shiki ran faster and faster causing Neku to burst into a run as well trying to lose Shiki.

 

 

"DAMN IT JUST GO THE HELL AWAY!" Neku screamed in his head

 

 

He ran faster and faster desperate to escape her this then caused Shiki to become so enraged that she screamed his name as loud as she could.

 

 

"NEKUUUUUU!" Shiki roared

 

It was the last straw Neku had had enough of this crazy stalker trying so hard to follow him, causing him to stop running and face the weird stalker.

 

 

"WHAT!?" Neku roared "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT WITH ME!?"

 

 

"Neku… Neku it's me Shiki… I'm your friend." she says sadly

 

 

"FRIEND!?" Neku said sharply

 

 

Just hearing that word made him clench his teeth

 

 

He then took a deep breath to try to calm down

 

 

"I don't even know you… I don't know who the hell you are…how could I be friends with someone I don't know." Neku says darkly clasping his right shoulder

 

 

"someone you… what are you talking about!? Did she really break your mind apart to this point?" Shiki cried

 

 

"Wait how does she know about Clarissa?" Neku thought

 

 

"Okay this girl went from stalker to down right insane! This girl's a freak I've got to get away!" he screamed in his head

 

 

"Shut up!" Neku said just barley beyond a whisper at her

 

 

Shiki then stared at him in shock

 

 

"and just go the hell away…stupid stalker."

 

 

It was like someone stabbed her. Shiki couldn't believe what she just heard

 

 

He then walked away from her and held out his hand recreating his headphones holding them by his head

 

 

"I don't get people, never have never will." he thought

 

 

Neku then placed his headphones back on his head (another "stab" in the chest to Shiki) and opened a portal to the demon realm.

 

 

His demon energy was now even controlling his actions.

 

 

He stepped into the portal leaving the girl behind. She simply fell to her knees with tears streaming down her face and her face filled with shock.


	32. Breaking Point (Part 2)

A heart broken Shiki squeezes Mr. Mew as she burries her face on its head. She couldn't believe what she saw… and what she heard. Shiki was still trying to take everything in, the fact that Neku's mind and soul is broken again, and how now he's left The Higher Plane wishing she knew where he was, she then squeezed her toy even harder filled with hate towards Clarissa.

 

 

"I don't care" Shiki thought "I don't care what you make him do Clarissa, I WILL get Neku back! I… I'm not strong like him… I couldn't even heal him… so… part of this… it's all my fault." She thought filled with heartache

 

 

"I don't care if I have to go against the Higher Ups' orders to bring you back Neku… if that's what it takes then I'll get strong enough to save you."

 

 

 

At that moment Mr. H and Joshua picked up on the intensity of her thoughts in the Composer district.

 

 

"Heh heh, I guess I should've known she'd react that way" Mr. H says to Joshua

 

 

"yes I suppose so, especially since she's going to be so reckless. she already has her mind made up Mr. H, and you know by now that she'll stop at nothing to save Neku." Joshua responded with his hands in his pockets

 

 

Mr. H then scratched his head and sighed

 

 

"you know, the Higher Ups are probably gonna hold even more of a grudge against us for this but… you know as well as I do that we can't let her do this on her own. Although Shiki has gotten stronger, there's no way she could take on a Demon Lord. … and we can only tamper with the laws of Life and Death to a certain point." Mr. H repies

 

 

"What are you getting at Mr. H?" Joshua replies now with a curious look on his face

 

 

"I'm saying we'll have to cut another human's lifespan short, we'll have to bring them to the Higher Plane and kill them before they're meant to die. Although he lacks the creativity that Neku has, he was still able to tap into his imagination and use the Pin I sealed his sister's Soul in" Mr. H said sternly

 

 

"What're you trying to say Mr. H?" Joshua said with his hand on his chin

 

 

"What I'm saying is that, if Shiki is going to have a fighting chance to save Neku, she'll need to get even stronger, she's also gonna need back up… we have to make Beat and Rhyme die." Mr. H says darkly

 

 

Joshua then shrugged and sighed

 

 

"Mr. H you're lucky you have a Death God as a friend, killing humans muiltiple ways, and bringing them back to life of course, is my specialty." Joshua then let out his icy laugh

 

 

"heh heh, you're such a twisted kid" Mr. H replied

 

 

At this moment the two beings then teleported to Shiki to tell her their plan…

 

 

Neku then walked out of the portal to see the Demon Realm.

 

 

(Clarissa was very particular about which of Neku's memories to break apart. He went to Udagawa that fatefull day… but never saw Joshua. Instead he lived a normal life according to Clarissa. He then died, went to the Higher Plane and was in the war but without Shiki, Joshua, or Mr. H and remembered getting infected with demon energy)

 

 

The demon realm has an apocalyptic feel to it. The sky is bright red, completely enfullfing the sky to the point there wasn't any trace of sunlight in the sky.

 

 

The buildings in the demon realm all had an urban city feel to it with the skyscrapers touching the sky, a sight Neku was familiar with but, these buildings were broken with cracks going up and down the buildings.

 

 

He was at the lowest level of the demon realm: Trail of Black Tears

 

 

(this district got its name from this level of the Demon realm having a tendency to pour the overflowing demon energy back into the realm as rain)

 

 

It felt like it was 30 degrees in this district. Without his memories of Shiki now Neku couldn't wear the jacket she made for him, which was made for this type of situation. As he endured the stinging of the cold air, Neku began to feel uneasy.

 

 

"Clarissa's plan was for me to come here right? And…. Become a demon… but where is here? The Demon realm has other sections to it like the Higher Plane right?" Neku thought.

 

 

As he began to wander around the demon realm he heard the footsteps of someone approaching. It sounded like about five or six people walking towards him. This then caused Neku to gasp with fear.

 

 

"who's there?" he cried

 

 

"Hey there little Fledgling, you seem lost." one of the Mongrels told him

 

 

(they're known as Scouters, they're the ones who much like Harrier Reapers who Hunt Players, hunt Fledglings when given the chance)

 

 

In addition to this much like the Supporter Reapers, they have a certain style of clothing they all wear to differentiate themselves from other Mongrels. They wear plain black shirts with gray pants wear matching black shoes.

 

 

"we're the Scouters of this district. Fledglings, unless they are turning into a demon or seek to join us aren't allowed here." one of them said smiling a menacing smile

 

 

They circled Neku preparing to attack him. Some of them began pushing Neku laughing at him as they sensed his hesitance to fight back.

 

 

"Dammit so if I don't become a demon these guys are gonna try to kill me!? But if I DO become one I'll lose my sanity!? Damn this is bad… wait there's an attack I was taught to kill demons…but… I don't remember it. I activated my Enlightened form in the war on my own… so maybe I can do it again." Neku thought

 

 

He then tries to activate a Soul Surge but couldn't. Clarissa altered his memories to the point he thought it was possible. One of the demons then took advantage of Neku's failed attempt and punched him in the face.

 

 

Another Scouter tackled him from behind and slammed him onto the ground face first.

 

 

Neku knew what this meant, they were going to attack him to the point his energy leaked out, just like in the war.

 

 

Enraged at the thought of being in that situation again, especially since he doesn't know how he made it out alive, Neku then lets out an extremely low growl clenching his teeth, his eyes became bright red and started his third transformation.

 

 

"whoa wait is this kid turning into a demon?" one of the Scouters (who wasn't holding Neku down) yelled

 

 

"Yeah" one of them replied "I think this might be the kid the Demon Mistress mentioned

 

 

Seeing them distracted, Neku's third demon form let out a ferocious roar blasting the Scouters with his demonic fire. Three out of the six demons managed to dodge the attack and proceeded to calm Neku down. He then charged at them screaming and roaring

 

 

 

 

 

Neku's attacks then became even more vicious as he attempted to kill the Scouters. As he slashed one of them in the face he felt his fire turn into lightning burning himself causing Neku to scream in pain.

 

 

The demon energy in him was reacting to the energy of the demon realm.

 

 

His black demon fire (which was now lightning) started to weaken and go back in his body, his claws became seven inches long and had a dark gray color to them.

 

his teeth became even sharper turning into Shark teeth, his blank red eyes became pupiless red irises glowing for a few seconds and then stopped,followed by his hair becoming pitch black with a blue tint to it. He then lets out an evil smile due to him becoming more demoic.

 

 

Neku's transformation was complete he was now a full demon.

 

 

The moment it was complete Mr. H sensed this in the Higher Plane

 

 

"So you're going to help me?" Shiki asked confused "I thought you said that it was too dangerous and that because of that I should pretend I never knew Neku"

 

 

"Yes that's true Shiki" Mr. H replied "But Joshua and I picked up on your thoughts and we knew you had your mind made up"

 

 

"But you'll have back up" Joshua added "I've explained the situation to the Higher Ups and they think that although it would be breaking yet another rule, that you should be taught how to become an Angel, and not just you, Beat and Rhyme too."

 

 

 

"Wait ..what are you…. I'm gonna become an Angel? HOW!? And Beat and Rhyme…. Are you going to kill them?" Shiki asked

 

 

"By training of course" Mr. H replies "We both know how much Phones means to ya, so we're gonna get you back up, that's where Beat and Rhyme come in."

 

 

"you'll need someone to fuse your energy with and become an extremely powerful Angel… an angel that's on par with one of the most powerful Angels of the Higher Plane …. Shiki… you'll have to become as powerful as me, and as for Beat and Rhyme… it's the only way, I'm sorry." He said sternly

 

 

Shiki then looked at them in shock "I have to be… as strong…as you? And Beat and Rhyme… they'll die again" she replied weakly

 

 

"why yes Shiki" Joshua says pulling his hair back

 

 

He then let out his icy laugh, the one he let out before shooting Neku.

 

 

"don't tell me you're too afraid to even try?" he chuckled

 

 

"What!?" Shiki cried "well of course I'm afraid! Being in my Enlightened form already puts a massive strain on my body… so how can I even handle becoming an Angel!?"

 

 

"heh heh, cause Phones put some of my energy inside you remember?" Mr. H replied patting Shiki on the head

 

 

"that energy flowing inside you will help you learn how to become an Angel Shiki, and it will make it a lot easier too." he replied smiling

 

 

"we'll do everything we can Shiki, and you're going to need this training, especially since Phones is now a full Demon" Mr. H added Darkly

 

 

Shiki's eyes then began to water

 

 

"Neku…" she said sadly

 

 

As they discussed Neku's condition, he then chuckles saying that the Scouters don't know who they're messing with and begins to viciously attack them laughing at their pain as he zig-zagged around each one of them slashing them with his claws being as sharp as knives. He then unleashes a massive dome of demon energy blasting them away from him, nearly knocking out the Scouters. At that moment he encountered Clarissa pleased with his ferocious display of nearly killing some of the Scouters.

 

 

They then kneeled to her as a sign of respect of her superiority and Queen like status over them and then received a message from her telepathically

 

 

"I can see Neku's demon energy is already making him very violent, and more demonic. That's good. I'm going to amplify his power even further, this will require me to merge with him. When I do, consider that to be my retirement" 

 

 

"ah I see it finally happened" she said with a crooked smile

 

 

Neku's evil smile then vanished and Neku got into his fighting stance 

 

 

 

"What the hell do you want?" Neku hissed "I'm a full demon just like you wanted so NOW what?"

 

 

Although Neku had just unleashed very demonic behavior, he still wasn't completely as hostile as he could be. Neku then quickly grabbed his MP3 ready to drown her out if necessary. 

 

"why I'm merely here to welcome you" she said sweetly

 

 

She then began to walk over to Neku causing him to back away, getting ready to burst into a run to escape her if necessary.

 

 

"Neku…" she said sweetly

 

 

Clarissa then teleported over to him and squeezed his funnel collar suspending him in the air.

 

 

"Don't be afraid" she whispered

 

 

She then converted her entire body into the black demon energy within her, and flew into Neku's chest causing him to scream in pain before getting launched back crashing onto the ground laying on his back.

 

 

He then laid on the ground with strands of black lighting coming out of him, that eventually faded away, allowing his demonic personality to now be in full force.

 

 

Unknown to him is that now he was the new Demon Lord. Clarissa had fused her very body with Neku merging every last bit of her power inside him.

 

 

He then awoke a few minutes later…when he did, he was a different person…

 

 

As Neku got to his feet he couldn't help but smile, revealing his shark-like teeth.

 

 

"this…this feels great" Neku thought

 

 

He then looked down at his clothes seeing the usual J of M clothes he'd wear

 

 

"heh, no need to wear this old thing anymore" he thought

 

 

With a snap of his fingers he then recreated the tuxedo he wore when he played piano in front of Shiki. (he remembered wearing it… but not in front of her)

 

 

"ah much better" he said aloud

 

 

He then takes his headphones off and leaves them in the Black Tear District.

 

 

He then walks over to the Scouters who were still weak from his attacks from earlier.

 

 

"I am no longer Neku Sakuraba. From now on, as the Demon Lord, call me Damien" he said smiling


End file.
